voyageur

Forms

voyageur m (plural voyageurs, feminine voyageuse)^[1] It replaced the older Middle French voyagier (late 14th century).^[2][3] The feminine voyageuse is recorded from 1675, in Mme de Sévigné.^[2]

Etymology

It is formed from French voyager + -eur.^[4][1][5] The verb voyager comes from voyage, which is from Latin viāticum (“money for a journey”), from via (“way, road”).^[6] The noun took the place of the older Middle French voyagier.^[2][3] Bloch and Wartburg date it to about 1470 and the GLLF to about 1460 (Chastellain), against the TLFi's 1415.^[6][7][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found in 1415 in Alain Chartier, in grant voyageur “a man who makes long journeys”.^[4] Rey gives the sense as a person on a journey.^[5]

Semantic evolution

From the 16th century it meant someone who travels a great deal, especially to see new countries (1552, Rabelais), and later (1637) someone going a long way on foot.^[5][7] In religious language (1657) it was used of a human being, whose life is likened to a journey.^[5] From 1810 it named a person using a means of transport, and then especially a passenger of public transport (1876, Larousse).^[5][7] Voyageur de commerce “commercial traveller” is recorded from 1830, in Balzac, and commis-voyageur from 1792.^[4]

As an adjective (1764) it was first used of birds in the lost sense “migratory”, and pigeon voyageur “homing pigeon” (1846) replaced pigeon messager.^[5] In New France the word took a special historical sense: a trader licensed by the authorities to deal in furs with the Native peoples, as opposed to the coureur de bois; from 1695 it also named the hired men who went with these traders, and in the 19th century the seasonal workers of the logging camps (from 1859).^[5][8] Canadian English took the word as voyageur from 1793.^[9][8]

Timeline

• 1415 – Alain Chartier writes grant voyageur “a great traveller”.^[4]
• 1552 – Rabelais uses it of someone who travels far to see new countries.^[5][7]
• 1637 – Descartes uses it of a person going a long way on foot.^[7][5]
• 1675 – The feminine voyageuse appears in Mme de Sévigné.^[2]
• 1695 – In New France it names a servant hired for the fur trade.^[8][5]
• 1741 – First use as an adjective, “who is travelling”.^[4]
• 1792 – Commis-voyageur is recorded.^[4]
• 1793 – Canadian English borrows voyageur.^[9][8]
• 1810 – It names a person using a means of transport.^[5][7]
• 1830 – Voyageur de commerce appears in Balzac.^[4]
• 1846 – Pigeon voyageur replaces pigeon messager.^[5]
• 1876 – Larousse records the sense “passenger of public transport”.^[7]

Meanings

Noun

1. A person who is on a journey, a traveller.^[3][10][1]
2. A passenger of public transport: les voyageurs du car de huit heures.^[3][10][4]
3. A person who travels to see new countries, an explorer; also a tourist.^[3][10]
4. Voyageur de commerce: a commercial traveller, a travelling salesman.^[10][4]
5. (Quebec, historical) A fur trader or hired canoeman of the fur trade in the North American interior.^[8][9]

Adjective

1. Travelling, who moves about;^[10][5] pigeon voyageur, a homing pigeon.^[10][5]
2. (obsolete) Of birds, migratory.^[5]

Related words

• voyage
• voyager
• Latin viāticum
• English voyageur

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j 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. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
7. ^ a b c d e f g Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
8. ^ a b c d e Base de données lexicographiques panfrancophone (BDLP), Trésor de la langue française au Québec / Agence universitaire de la Francophonie, bdlp.org
9. ^ a b c Poirier, Claude, et al. (2024), Dictionnaire historique du français québécois, 2nd ed., Trésor de la langue française au Québec, Université Laval, dhfq.org
10. ^ a b c d e f Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)