voix

Pronunciation

• IPA: /vwa/^[1]

Forms

voix f (invariable)^[1] Old French voiz (about 980), vois (13th century); voix, with the x taken from the Latin nominative, from the late 13th century.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French voiz, inherited from Latin vōx (“voice, sound; word”) (accusative “vōcem”).^{[4][2][5][6][1]} The Latin word goes back to Proto-Italic *wōks and Proto-Indo-European *wṓkʷs, a root used for uttering words, with legal and religious overtones, also seen in Sanskrit वाच् (vā́c, “voice”) and Ancient Greek ἔπος (épos, “word”).^[1][2][7]

Cognate with Romanian voce, Italian voce, Occitan votz, Catalan veu, Spanish voz and Portuguese voz.^[7][8]

Earliest recorded meaning

At the end of the 10th century the Passion of Clermont uses las voz for the sounds produced by the human throat.^[4]

Semantic evolution

About 1100 the Chanson de Roland uses it for the way a voice is used (a sa voiz grand et halte) and for the sound of horns and trumpets.^[4][9] The song of birds is voiz about 1200, and the baying of hounds in 1678, whence donner de la voix (1758).^[4][2] From about 1170 it meant advice, a call or an order, as in la voix du peuple, a calque of Latin vox populi.^[2][4]

In 1305 it was a rumour, and about 1370 a trained singing voice (Oresme).^[4][2] The sense “vote” grew out of phrases such as avoir voix en chapitre (1558), now avoir voix au chapitre, voix délibérative dates from 1690.^[2][4] In grammar, voix active and voix passive are recorded in 1636.^[4] De vive voix is found in 1585.^[10]

Timeline

• Late 10th century – Voz in the Passion of Clermont.^[4]
• c. 1100 – The voice of horns, in the Chanson de Roland.^[4]
• c. 1200 – La douce voiz du louseignol in the Châtelain de Coucy.^[4]
• 1370 – A singing voice, in Oresme.^[4]
• 1558 – Avoir voix en chapitre.^[4]
• 1585 – De vive voix.^[10]
• 1636 – Voix active and voix passive.^[4]
• 1690 – Voix délibérative.^[4]

Meanings

Noun

1. voice: the sounds produced by the human throat: une voix grave, à voix basse.^[7][1]
2. A singing voice; a singer: une voix de soprano.^[4][1]
3. The cry or call of an animal; the sound of an instrument or of nature.^[4][2]
4. An inner prompting or call: la voix de la conscience.^[4]
5. An opinion expressed; a vote: obtenir mille voix.^[1][2]
6. (grammar) The voice of a verb: voix active, passive.^[1][4]

Word family

• abat-voix
• porte-voix

Related words

• vocable
• vocabulaire
• vocal
• vocalique
• vocaliser
• vocatif
• vocation
• vociférer
• voyelle
• Latin vōx

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s 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. ^ 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, 638a
7. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
8. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
9. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
10. ^ a b Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF