Etymologically
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tueur

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Pronunciation

Forms

tueur m (plural tueurs, feminine tueuse)[1] Old French tuëour (about 1190–1200); feminine tueuse from the early 14th century.[2][3]

Etymology

It is from French tuer + -eur.[2][3][1] The verb tuer first meant “to extinguish”; it goes back to Vulgar Latin *tūtō, from Latin tūtor (“to protect, guard against”), which in phrases about staving off hunger or thirst came to stand for “to put out, quench”.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

In Jean Bodel's Jeu de saint Nicolas (about 1200) tuëour is a person who kills.[2][5]

Semantic evolution

From the 15th century it was said of a hired murderer (about 1450), whence tueur à gages (1566, Henri Estienne).[5][6] Since 1669 it has also been the slaughterman who kills animals in an abattoir.[5][6] In the 19th century tueur de came to mean a hunter of some animal, sometimes with the scornful note of one who kills for profit (1916).[5][6]

The adjectival use (about 1265) has stayed rare.[5][6] In modern French it is also said figuratively of a ruthless competitor in business or politics.[7]

Timeline

  • c. 1200 – Tuëour in Jean Bodel's Jeu de saint Nicolas.[2]
  • c. 1265 – Used as an adjective by Jean de Meun.[6][5]
  • early 14th century – The feminine tueuse.[2]
  • c. 1450 – Used of a hired murderer.[5]
  • 1566 – Tueur à gages in Henri Estienne.[6][5]
  • 1669 – Used of a slaughterman.[5][6]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A killer, a person who kills; a murderer.[7][1][2]
  2. Tueur à gages, or simply tueur: a hired assassin, a hitman.[7][6]
  3. Tueur en série: a serial killer.[1][7]
  4. Tueur de: a hunter of a given animal: un tueur de loups.[7][5]
  5. A slaughterman in an abattoir.[1][6]
  6. (figurative) A ruthless, combative person, especially in business or politics.[7]

Adjective

  1. (rare) That kills.[6][2]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g 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 Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  7. ^ a b c d e f Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert