Etymologically
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vignette

Etymology and origin of the French word vignette

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
c. 1280, Girart d'Amiens
Inherited from
Latin vinea
Ultimate origin
Proto-Italic (*wīno-)
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin vinea
French vignette
English vignette
French vigne

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /vi.ɲɛt/[1]

Forms

vignette f (plural vignettes)[1]

Etymology

It is a diminutive of vigne (“vine”) with the suffix “-ette”,[2][3][4][5] because the ornament first represented vine branches and leaves; it is no longer felt to be related.[3][6] “Vigne” is inherited from Latin vīnea (“vineyard”), from Latin vīnum (“wine”).[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Girart d'Amiens's Escanor (about 1280) has the plural for ornaments of vine branches and leaves on furniture and plate;[2][3] Joinville speaks of amber set on crystal à beles vignettes de bon or fin.[6][4]

Semantic evolution

Only the idea of ornament survived: an ornament in a printed text (1454), at the head of pages or ends of chapters (Félibien, 1676), and an engraving framed by a cartouche (Fontenelle, 1730).[2][3] Balzac (1834) used it for the illustrations of a book or newspaper, and it later named a letter-paper ornament (1835), a handkerchief design (1844) and a poster design (Hugo, 1855).[2][3]

A law of 23 June 1857 gave it the sense of a small printed label with legal value, whence the trade mark motif, the vignette automobile (1956) and, in France, the sticker on a medicine for Social Security reimbursement (1957); it also names each picture of a comic strip.[2][3] English vignette was taken from French in 1751.[7]

Timeline

  • c. 1280 – Vine-leaf ornaments, in Escanor.[2]
  • 1334 – Vigneté.[3]
  • 1454 – An ornament in a printed text.[2]
  • 1676 – A headpiece, in Félibien.[2]
  • 1730 – An engraving in a cartouche.[2]
  • 1751 – English vignette.[7]
  • 1834 – An illustration, in Balzac.[2]
  • 1857 – A label with legal value.[2]
  • 1956 – Vignette automobile.[2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A vignette, ornamental motif (in a book).[8][9]
  2. A small illustration; a panel (of a comic strip).[8][1]
  3. A label, sticker (with legal value): vignette automobile (road-tax disc); the price sticker on a medicine.[9][3]
  4. A trade mark motif.[8]

Word family

  • vignettiste

References

  1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l 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 e f g h Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b c Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  5. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  6. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  7. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  8. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  9. ^ a b Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)

Borrowed into

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Vignette.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/vignette. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·