vénéneux

Forms

vénéneux (feminine vénéneuse, masculine plural vénéneux, feminine plural vénéneuses)^[1] Middle French venenose (feminine, 1478), venenouses (feminine plural, 1478) and veneneux (1536).^[2]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Late Latin venēnōsus (“poisonous”), derived from venēnum (“drug, poison”).^{[2][3][4][5][6][1]} Christian authors used the Latin adjective figuratively of heresy.^[2] Bloch and Wartburg and the Grand Robert date the French word from 1496, the TLFi and the DHLF from 1478.^[3][4][2][6]

It is roughly a learned doublet of venimeux, the adjective formed from venin.^[1][2] Cognate with Old Occitan venenos, Spanish venenoso and Italian venenoso.^[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

It first appears in 1478 in Nicolas Panis's French version of Guy de Chauliac's Guidon, a work of medicine, of matter that corrupts and causes infection or disease, and in the same text of the bites of venomous animals.^[2][6]

Semantic evolution

From 1496 the adjective was applied to plants, especially mushrooms, that contain a poison and kill when eaten.^[6][3] A figurative use, “malicious”, is found from 1536 in Jean Bouchet's veneneux langages, and Ambroise Paré wrote of bestes veneneuses and champignons veneneux (1575).^[2][6] In the 16th century it was also said of the flesh of an animal.^[6]

From the 16th century the word was less common than venimeux, and Richelet (1680) dismissed it as a word “flayed from Latin” that was not in use.^[2] The division by which vénéneux is said of plants and venimeux of animals became clearer from the 18th century but was never complete.^[2] In the second half of the 19th century toxique began to compete with both, and it is the usual term in the 20th century;^[2] vénéneux is now said mainly of plants and mushrooms, and has gained new life in figurative uses.^[2]

Timeline

• 1478 – First found in Nicolas Panis's translation of Guy de Chauliac, of matter causing disease and of animal bites.^[2][6]
• 1496 – Applied to poisonous plants.^[6][3]
• 1536 – Jean Bouchet uses it figuratively in veneneux langages.^[2][6]
• 1552 – Robert Estienne has it for an animal that has venom.^[5]
• 1575 – Paré writes of champignons veneneux.^[2]
• 1680 – Richelet rejects it as a Latinism not in use.^[2]
• 1872 – Littré records its use for animal flesh that poisons when eaten.^[5][7]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Containing a poison, poisonous when eaten, said chiefly of plants and mushrooms: Ces baies rouges sont vénéneuses.^[8][2][5]
2. Of the flesh of an animal: poisonous when eaten as food.^[5][7]
3. (figurative, literary) Harmful, malevolent, with a corrupting effect.^[8][2]

Word family

• vénénosité

Related words

• venin
• venimeux
• Latin venēnum

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q 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. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ a b c d e Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
6. ^ a b c d e f g h i Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
7. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
8. ^ a b Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert