Etymologically
Log in

vigne

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 17 October 2026 at 21:32. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

Pronunciation

Forms

vigne f (plural vignes)[1] Old French vigne (about 1120), vinne (about 1140), vingne, Old French also had vit “vine”, from Latin vitis.[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French vigne, inherited from Latin vīnea (“vineyard; vine”),[4][2][5][6] the feminine used as a noun of vīneus (“of wine”), from Latin vīnum (“wine”) (see vin).[2][1] In Latin “vinea” was also a military shed protecting soldiers attacking a wall.[2]

Cognate with Italian vigna, Old Occitan vinha, Catalan vinya, Spanish viña and Portuguese vinha.[3][5][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Oxford Psalter (first half of the 12th century) has vigne both for the climbing shrub grown for grapes and wine and for a vineyard.[4][2]

Semantic evolution

Old French also took over (about 1213) the Latin military sense, in use until the late 16th century (Paré lists vignes among siege engines).[2][3] The importance of wine-growing in French-speaking lands gave many phrases: travailler à la vigne du Seigneur “to convert souls” (Bible of 1553), mettre le pied dans la vigne du Seigneur (1690) and être dans les vignes (1718), later dans les vignes du Seigneur (1808), “to be drunk”.[4][2] Raisin de vigne, pêche de vigne (1835) and feuille de vigne (on statues, 1870) followed.[2]

Qualified, vigne named other climbers: vigne blanche “clematis” (1538) and vigne vierge “Virginia creeper” (1690).[4][2] The derivatives vigneron (late 12th century), vignette (Joinville, about 1300, an ornament of vine leaves) and vignoble belong to it.[2][5]

Timeline

  • c. 1120 – Vigne in the Oxford Psalter.[4]
  • Late 12th century – Vigneron.[2]
  • c. 1213 – A siege shed.[2]
  • c. 1300 – Vignette in Joinville.[5]
  • 1553 – La vigne du Seigneur.[4]
  • 1690 – Vigne vierge.[4]
  • 1718 – Être dans les vignes “to be drunk”.[4]

Meanings

Noun

  1. The vine, grapevine: pied de vigne, feuille de vigne.[8][1]
  2. A vineyard: travailler à la vigne, pêche de vigne.[1][3]
  3. Vigne vierge: Virginia creeper, vigne blanche: white bryony, clematis.[4][2]
  4. Être dans les vignes (du Seigneur): to be drunk.[4][2]

Word family

Usage notes

A second vigne (Scarron, before 1660), from Italian vigna, names a country house with vineyards and gardens near Rome (la vigne Borghèse); it has been replaced by villa.[9][10][2]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e 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 Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  4. ^ 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
  5. ^ a b c d Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 14, 471b
  7. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
  8. ^ Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  9. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  10. ^ Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse