visière

Forms

visière f (plural visières)^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Old French vis (“face”) + -iere.^[2][3][4][1] The same Old French noun is the base of visage and of vis-à-vis.^[3][5] A parallel formation on the latter noun, visagiere, is found in 1310.^[3]

Littré cites Picard voisière “window”.^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first recorded in the second half of the 13th century, in the Prise de Defur, for the movable piece of a helmet that protected all or part of the face and through which the man-at-arms looked.^[2][3] Beaumanoir speaks of an iron cap “à visiere” in the same century.^[5]

Semantic evolution

From the tournament came the phrase rompre en visière, to break one's lance against the opponent's visor, and figuratively (1651) to contradict someone to their face.^[3][6] In classical French visière also meant sight or one's gaze: prendre sa visière “to try to see” (1525); from this came figurative phrases for one's way of looking at things, such as donner dans la visière “to please greatly” (1640) and blesser la visière “to offend someone's views” (1655, Molière), all now gone.^[2][3]

By likeness to the helmet piece it named a loophole for firing an arquebus (1573) and the sight of a gun (1659) or crossbow (1679), senses later taken by viseur.^[3][2] The commonest modern sense, the peak of a cap that shades the eyes, is recorded by the Académie in 1835; in the 20th century it also named the projecting roof of an electric locomotive (1964).^[2][3] Slang made viscope from it (1867), with a jocular ending taken from télescope.^[3]

Timeline

• c. 1250 – First record, in the Prise de Defur, for part of a helmet.^[2][3]
• 1310 – The parallel form visagiere is found.^[3]
• 1525 – Prendre sa visière “to try to see” appears in a farce.^[2][3]
• 1640 – Oudin records donner dans la visière à quelqu'un.^[2]
• 1651 – Figurative rompre en visière “to contradict to one's face”.^[3]
• 1655 – Molière writes blesser la visière.^[2][3]
• 1659 – Duez records the sense “gun sight”.^[2]
• 1835 – The Académie records the peak of a cap.^[2][7]
• 1867 – The slang form viscope appears.^[3]

Meanings

Noun

1. (history) The movable front piece of a helmet, with slits for seeing and breathing, that protected the face.^[2][6]
2. The transparent face shield of a modern helmet, such as a motorcyclist's.^[6]
3. The peak of a cap or képi that shades the eyes.^[6][2]
4. An eyeshade fastened round the head.^[2][1]
5. Rompre en visière: (literary) to attack or contradict someone openly and to their face.^[6][3]

Related words

• visage
• vis-à-vis

Usage notes

À visière levée or à visière découverte “openly, without disguise” is now dated.^[2]

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 n o 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 i j k l m n o p Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
6. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
7. ^ Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse