vêtement

Pronunciation

• IPA: /vɛt.mɑ̃/^[1]

Forms

vêtement m (plural vêtements)^[1] Old French vestiment (late 10th century), vestement (about 1100); vêtemant (1636) and vêtement (1671) in the 17th century; the Académie had vestement in 1718.^[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French vestement, inherited from Latin vestīmentum (“garment, clothing”), from vestis (“garment”) (see veste).^[3][1][4][5] Rey, the Grand Robert and Bloch and Wartburg describe it as a derivative of vêtir modelled on the Latin word.^[2][6][7]

The Latin word gave Italian vestimento, Spanish vestimenta and Portuguese vestimenta.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Passion de Clermont (late 10th century) has vestiment for whatever covers and protects the body; in the Chanson de Roland (about 1100) the French cut through cez vestemenz to the bare flesh.^[3][8]

Semantic evolution

A collective feminine vestemente is found about 1200, and a Poème moral of the early 13th century speaks of the garments of the soul, piety and charity, the first figurative use.^[2][3][8] In modern French the plural is the everyday word for clothes, as opposed to sous-vêtements (1890 in Quebec).^[2][9] Heraldry uses it for a shield whose corners are covered by four triangles (1904).^[3][1]

Vestimentaire (1830, Balzac) and survêtement (1829, later a tracksuit) belong to the same family.^[2]

Timeline

• late 10th century – Vestiment, Passion de Clermont.^[3]
• c. 1100 – Vestement, Chanson de Roland.^[3]
• early 13th century – Figurative use.^[3]
• 1671 – The spelling vêtement, Pomey.^[4]
• 1890 – Sous-vêtement, in Quebec.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. A garment, an item of clothing: un vêtement chaud.^[1][9]
2. (plural) clothes: changer de vêtements, (singular, technical) clothing as a whole, the clothing trade.^[9][1][10]
3. (figurative, literary) What covers or disguises.^[2][3]
4. (heraldry) Four triangles covering the corners of a shield.^[3][1]

Word family

• sous-vêtement
• survêtement
• vestimentaire

Related words

• vêtir
• veste
• Latin vestīmentum

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j 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 Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
5. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 14, 351b
6. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
7. ^ Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
8. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
9. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
10. ^ Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF