truite

Forms

truite f (plural truites)^[1] The expected Old French form troite is attested about 1175 and survives in Norman.^[2][3][4] Anglo-Norman also has trute and troyte.^[5]

Etymology

It is inherited from Late Latin tructa (“trout”), a word used in the second half of the 4th century by Saint Ambrose, whose manuscripts also have trocta.^[6][7][2][3] The Latin word was probably borrowed.^[6][2] The TLFi, the DHLF and Bloch and Wartburg see no link with Ancient Greek τρώκτης (trṓktēs), literally “voracious”, which names a quite different fish, a kind of tuna;^[6][2][3] the Grand Robert, the GLLF and Littré derive it from that Greek word.^[8][4][9]

The regular French outcome would be troite; the vowel of the modern form, which is just as old, is not explained.^[2][3] Cognate with Italian trota and Spanish trucha.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found about 1170 in Chrétien de Troyes's Erec, for the freshwater fish.^[6][2]

Semantic evolution

The word names a freshwater fish of the salmon family;^[2][6] truite saumonée (1564) is a trout with pink flesh and truite de mer (1829) a fish very like the salmon.^[2][6] It also enters the names of dishes, such as truite meunière (1935).^[2] In 1751 the Encyclopédie uses it for a part of a brewery furnace, probably by likeness of shape.^[6] In Canadian French it is used of the char, truite mouchetée being the brook trout.^[2]

Timeline

• c. 1170 – Truite appears in Chrétien de Troyes's Erec.^[6]
• 1564 – Thierry records truite saumonée.^[6][4]
• 1680 – The adjective truité is recorded.^[3][2]
• 1751 – The Encyclopédie uses it for part of a brewery furnace.^[6]
• 1829 – Truite de mer is recorded.^[2]
• 1904 – Truite arc-en-ciel is recorded by Larousse.^[4]

Meanings

Noun

1. A trout, a freshwater fish of the salmon family that lives in clear running water.^[10][6]
2. Truite saumonée: a trout with pink flesh like a salmon's.^[10]
3. Truite de mer: the sea trout, which lives in northern seas and swims up rivers in spring.^[10]
4. (Canada) Any of several kinds of char: truite mouchetée, truite grise.^[2][10]

Related words

• truité
• Late Latin tructa

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ a b c d e f Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
4. ^ a b c d Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
5. ^ Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)
6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k 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
7. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 13/2, 325a
8. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
9. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
10. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert