victuaille

Forms

victuaille f (plural victuailles)^[1] Old French vitaille (1138, used until the 18th century) and vitalle (1200), then victaille (about 1300), victoaille (1440) and victuaille (before 1492).^[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French vitaille (“food, provisions”), inherited from Late Latin victuālia (“provisions, victuals”), refashioned after the Latin word in the 14th and 15th centuries.^[3][2][1] The Latin noun is the neuter plural of victuālis (“relating to food”), derived from victus (“food, way of living”), the action noun of vīvō (“to live”), the source of vivre.^[3][2][4] Like other Latin neuter plurals, it became a feminine singular in Romance.^[5] The forms with ⟨c⟩ and ⟨u⟩, and the pronunciation /vik.tɥaj/, come from this readaptation.^[1][2]

Cognate with Old Occitan vitalha, Spanish vitualla and Portuguese vitualha.^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Geffrei Gaimar's Estoire des Engleis (about 1140) has vitaille meaning “food, provisions”.^[3][2]

Semantic evolution

The first sense was “food, nourishment”, still used in the classical period, when the word also meant “store of provisions”.^[2] In Old French the plural vitailles named the food sold at market (about 1175) and, figuratively, the food of the soul (about 1190); these uses died out, as did the sense “provisions for a ship” (about 1390).^[2][5]

The collective sense “provisions” (1440) has lasted, but only in the plural, which is found from 1542.^[2][3] The modern form did not finally replace the older ones until the end of the 18th century, and these survive in dialects.^[2] Old French vitaille also passed into English as victuals (about 1300).^[6]

Timeline

• c. 1140 – Vitaille “food” in Gaimar's Estoire des Engleis.^[3][2]
• c. 1175 – The plural vitailles is used for food sold at market.^[2]
• c. 1300 – The partly relatinised victaille appears.^[2][4]
• c. 1300 – English borrows the Old French word as vitaylle.^[6]
• 1441 – Victoaille “provisions, food” in the treatise of Emmanuel Piloti.^[3]
• 1468–1492 – Olivier de La Marche writes victuaille.^[3]
• 1542 – First record of the plural victuailles.^[3][2]

Meanings

Noun

1. (dated or literary, in the singular) Food, nourishment.^[3][7]
2. (in the plural) provisions, victuals: un sac plein de victuailles.^[7][3]

Related words

• vivre
• avitailler
• ravitailler
• Latin victuālia
• English victuals

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 Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ 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
4. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
5. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
6. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
7. ^ a b Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert