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
- voice: the sounds produced by the human throat: une voix grave, à voix basse.[7][1]
- A singing voice; a singer: une voix de soprano.[4][1]
- The cry or call of an animal; the sound of an instrument or of nature.[4][2]
- An inner prompting or call: la voix de la conscience.[4]
- An opinion expressed; a vote: obtenir mille voix.[1][2]
- (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
- ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
- ^ Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
- ^ 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
- ^ Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
- ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 14, 638a
- ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
- ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
- ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
- ^ a b Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF