vouivre

Forms

vouivre f (plural vouivres)^[1] Old French wivre (about 1150), vuivre (13th century) and, in heraldry, voivre (1306); the spelling vouivre is recorded from 1834.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French wivre, a variant of guivre, inherited from Latin vīpera (“viper”).^[2][4][1][5] Rey describes it as a variant of that word which came down from the Latin word by oral transmission.^[3] The initial /w/ of both Old French forms is explained by a Germanic-style pronunciation *wipera, under the influence of the many Germanic words beginning with w-; compare Old High German wipera, itself taken from Latin.^[2][6] The forms in ⟨vou-⟩ are those of the dialects of the Centre and the East, of the Jura and of French-speaking Switzerland.^[2]

It is a doublet of the learned vipère.^[1][3] The English heraldic wyvern goes back, through Middle English, to the Anglo-Norman form of the same word.^[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

About 1150 wivre means simply a serpent in the tale of Floire et Blancheflor;^[2][3] in the second half of the 13th century the form vuivre is used in a medical text from Liège.^[2][8]

Semantic evolution

From an ordinary snake the word came to name a fabulous one: Monet's dictionary of 1636 glosses vuivre as a flying serpent blazing with fire, and Boiste's of 1834 has vouivre as a dragon or fantastic monster.^[2] In the legends of Lorraine, Franche-Comté, Burgundy and the Jura the vouivre is a huge winged serpent guarding hidden treasure, or a young woman attended by snakes and endowed with magic powers.^[2][8] Rey cites Marcel Aymé's novel La Vouivre as evidence of its regional currency.^[3]

A second line of use is heraldic: Joinville has voivre in 1306 for a large serpent painted on a banner, and the word later became a synonym of guivre in coats of arms.^[2][3][8]

Timeline

• c. 1150 – Wivre “serpent” appears in Floire et Blancheflor.^[2]
• second half of the 13th century – The form vuivre appears in a medical text from Liège.^[2]
• 1306 – Joinville uses voivre for a serpent on a banner.^[2][3]
• 1636 – Monet glosses vuivre as a flying serpent.^[2][8]
• 1834 – Boiste records the spelling vouivre.^[2]
• 1904 – The Nouveau Larousse illustré uses vouivre as a heraldic term.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. (mythology, regional) A legendary serpent, often winged, that guards fabulous treasure, or a young woman attended by serpents and gifted with magic powers, in the folklore of Lorraine, Franche-Comté and the Jura.^[2][9]
2. (heraldry) A serpent in a coat of arms, the same as a guivre.^[8][9]

Related words

• vipère
• Latin vīpera
• English wyvern

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 p 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 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. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 14, 487b
6. ^ Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
7. ^ Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
8. ^ a b c d e Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
9. ^ a b Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert