volumineux

Forms

volumineux (feminine volumineuse, masculine plural volumineux, feminine plural volumineuses)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Late Latin volūminōsus (“sinuous, with many folds”), taken to serve as the adjective of the noun volume in its sense “bulk of a body”.^[2][3][4] The Latin word comes from volūmen (“a roll of written leaves”),^[4][5] from volvō (“to turn, roll”).^[3] The GLLF and the Petit Robert describe it rather as formed from the French noun after the Latin word.^[6][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

Its first record, in D'Aubignac in 1676, describes a work in several volumes.^[2][8] Bloch and Wartburg date it to 1739, and the GLLF calls the earlier date unverifiable, giving 1739 in Desfontaines.^[3][6]

Semantic evolution

From books in many volumes the word passed to anything that takes up much space: Diderot used it so in 1765,^[2] and the Académie recorded the sense in 1762.^[6][8] Before 1821 it was applied to writings made up of many pages or documents, as a file or a correspondence.^[8][6]

Stendhal used it in 1811 for an abundant meal, a sense now dated.^[2][8] From 1866 it describes a person of ample build, and since the late 19th century a very thick book.^[8] The sense “in many volumes” is now old-fashioned.^[2][6]

Timeline

• 1676 – D'Aubignac uses it of a work in several volumes.^[2]
• 1739 – Desfontaines uses it in the same sense.^[6][3]
• 1762 – The Académie records the sense “taking up much space”.^[6]
• 1765 – Diderot uses it of what is bulky.^[2]
• 1811 – Stendhal uses it of an abundant meal.^[2]
• 1866 – George Sand applies it to a person of ample build.^[2][8]
• 1930 – The derivative voluminosité is first recorded.^[2]

Meanings

Adjective

1. bulky, voluminous: that has a large volume and takes up much space, as in une valise volumineuse.^[7][9]
2. Of a piece of writing or a file: running to many pages or documents, as in un rapport volumineux.^[2][6]
3. (dated) Of a work: in many volumes.^[2][5]

Word family

• voluminosité

Related words

• volume
• Latin volūmen

References

1. ^ a b 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 Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
4. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
6. ^ a b c d e f g h Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
7. ^ a b Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
8. ^ a b c d e f Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
9. ^ Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)