vénal

Forms

vénal (feminine vénale, masculine plural vénaux, feminine plural vénales)^[1] Old French venel (about 1180).^[2]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin vēnālis (“for sale, that is sold”),^[3][1][2] from vēnum (“sale”), a noun found only in the accusative and dative.^[2][4] Rey traces the Latin noun to an Indo-European base Proto-Indo-European *wesno- or *weno-, which also gave the Sanskrit and Old Church Slavonic words for “price” and “dowry”;^[2] Littré compared Ancient Greek ὦνος (ônos, “price”).^[5] Bloch and Wartburg note that the word quickly took on an unfavourable sense.^[6]

Cognate with Occitan venal, Spanish venal and Italian venale.^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Rey dates the form venel to about 1180, meaning “that is sold”.^[2] The TLFi's first record is in the Charité of the Reclus de Molliens (about 1225), “that is sold, that can be had for money”.^[3]

Semantic evolution

From the start the adjective was also applied to people who act only for money,^[2] a pejorative use the TLFi first dates to 1288 (Jehan de Journi).^[3] A 13th-century satire says of the cardinals Qui tous sont devenus venaus “who have all become venal”.^[5] This is now the commonest sense, in formal usage.^[2]

As a masculine noun, vénal meant until the 16th century any merchandise (1216) and a duty paid on the sale of goods (1304); the adjective also described a measure used in selling (1308).^[2] From 1559 (Amyot) it was applied to offices and posts that could be bought, a use now historical,^[2][4] and in economics valeur vénale (1798) is the market value of a thing.^[2][7] The derived noun vénalité is recorded in 1573^[6] and the adverb vénalement in 1552.^[7]

Timeline

• c. 1180 – The form venel “that is sold”.^[2]
• c. 1225 – Venal in the Reclus de Molliens' Charité.^[3]
• 1216 – As a noun, “merchandise”.^[2]
• 1288 – First pejorative use, in Jehan de Journi.^[3]
• 1304 – The noun names a duty on the sale of goods.^[2]
• 1552 – First record of vénalement.^[7]
• 1559 – Amyot applies it to offices that can be bought.^[4][2]
• 1573 – First record of vénalité.^[6]
• 1798 – Valeur vénale in economics.^[2][7]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Ready to be bought, acting only for money and without regard to morality; venal, mercenary: un juge vénal.^[7][1] Of things: amour vénal, love that is paid for.^[7][1][5]
2. (history) That could be obtained by paying, of offices under the Ancien Régime: offices vénaux.^[7][4]
3. (economics) Valeur vénale: the market value of a thing, estimated in money.^[7][3]
4. (rare) Relating to sale.^[1][3]

Word family

• vénalité
• vénalement

Related words

• Latin vēnālis

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ 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
4. ^ a b c d Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
5. ^ a b c d Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
6. ^ a b c Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
7. ^ a b c d e f g h Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert