trille

Forms

trille m (plural trilles)^[1] Also written trill in the 18th century (Rousseau, 1768), and tril.^[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Italian trillo, a musical term since 1618, earlier (first half of the 15th century, Burchiello) “sound made by a vibrating body”.^[2][5] Bloch and Wartburg call it a verbal noun of trillare.^[3] The Italian word is probably onomatopoeic;^[2][5][6] the TLFi compares Latin trittilare (“to twitter”), and Rey notes that Battisti and Alessio cite the Latin verb from Varro in the sense “to babble”.^[2][5] Italian dialects have related forms expressing trembling.^[5]

From Italian it also passed into English as trillo (about 1651) and into German as Triller (1678).^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Jean-Jacques Rousseau introduced it in 1753 in his Lettre sur la musique française, underlining the word and saying that he had to make it French.^[2][5][3]

Semantic evolution

Borrowed with its musical sense, a rapid alternation of a note with the note above, it was applied after 1850 by analogy to birdsong and to similar sounds.^[5][7] Rousseau himself also wrote the unadapted form trill (1768), which was in use in the 18th century, and trille reappears in 1811.^[2]

The verb triller was formed from it in the 19th century.^[2][5]

Timeline

• 1753 – Rousseau uses trille and says he must Frenchify the word.^[2][3]
• 1768 – Rousseau writes trill.^[2]
• 1811 – Trille appears again, in Jouy.^[2]
• 1817 – Stendhal uses the derived verb triller.^[2]
• Before 1872 – Théophile Gautier uses it of a sound that recalls the musical ornament.^[7]

Meanings

Noun

1. (music) A trill: a rapid alternation of a note with the note a tone or semitone above, on an instrument or with the voice.^[2][8]
2. (literary) A sound recalling it, especially birdsong.^[7][5]

Word family

• triller

Related words

• Italian trillo
• English trill

Usage notes

Wiktionary lists a second trille, the plant trillium, borrowed from New Latin trillium.^[1]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
3. ^ a b c d Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
4. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
7. ^ a b c Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
8. ^ Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert