canard French · revision 15635

+ {{infobox|confidence=probable|formation=derivation|attested=1199, Canart (surname)}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ka.naʁ/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''canard''' ''m'' (plural canards, feminine cane)^(Wiktionary)

+ Old French ''quanart'' (13th century); ''canard'' from 1487.^(TLFi)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(Grand Robert 2005)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is probably formed from the same imitative root as [[fro|caner|t=to cackle]] (1204), with the suffix [[m|fro|-art]] of [[m|fro|malart]], the oldest name of the drake.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)^(Grand Robert 2005)^(Petit Robert 2007)^(FEW|2, 164b) Bloch and Wartburg derive it from ''caner'' itself, and take the suffix from [[m|fro|maslart]], a derivative of [[m|fro|masle|t=male]].^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989) Deriving it from [[cane]] “female duck” is less likely on chronological grounds, since ''cane'' would itself be a cross between Old French [[m|fro|ane|t=duck]] and the root of ''caner''.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992) Wiktionary also mentions a derivation from Old French ''cane'' “boat”, of Frankish origin.^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ It is first found in 1199 as a man's nickname, ''Hugo Canart'', probably given to a chatterer;^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992) in the 13th century ''quanart'' names the bird.^(TLFi)^(Grand Robert 2005)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Rey suggests that ''canard'' replaced Old French ''ane'' “duck” because that word was too easily confused with ''âne'' “donkey”.^(DHLF 1992) The bird gave many familiar phrases: ''mouillé comme un canard'' “soaked” (before 1696), ''froid de canard'' “bitter cold”, when wild ducks fly, and ''vilain petit canard'' after Andersen's tale.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ The sense “false news” (about 1750) comes from the 16th-century ''vendre'' or ''bailler un canard à moitié'' “to half-sell a duck”, that is, to cheat someone;^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(TLFi)^(Littré 1873) from it ''canard'' became a familiar word for a newspaper (1842).^(TLFi)^(GLLF 1989) A false, quacking note on a reed instrument is a ''canard'' from 1834, and a lump of sugar dipped in coffee or brandy from 1840.^(TLFi)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1199 – ''Canart'' as a man's nickname.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)

+ * 13th century – ''Quanart'' “duck”.^(TLFi)

+ * 1487 – The spelling ''canard''.^(TLFi)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)

+ * 1584 – ''Bailler un canard à moitié'' “to cheat”.^(TLFi)

+ * about 1750 – A false report spread by the press.^(TLFi)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)

+ * 1834 – A false note on a reed instrument.^(TLFi)

+ * 1842 – A newspaper.^(TLFi)^(GLLF 1989)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A [[m|en|duck]], especially the male; a [[m|en|drake]].^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(familiar)'' A false or unfounded report; a [[m|en|hoax]].^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Larousse)

+ # ''(familiar)'' A [[m|en|newspaper]], especially a poor one.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(music)'' A false, squawking note.^(TLFi)^(Wiktionary)

+ # A lump of sugar dipped in coffee or spirits.^(GLLF 1989)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(familiar)'' A term of endearment: ''mon petit canard''.^(GLLF 1989)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[canarder]]

+ * [[canardière]]

+ * [[cane]]

+ * [[caneton]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[canette]]

+ * [[canot]]

+ * [[en|canard]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ ''Froid de canard'' is bitter cold, and ''canard boiteux'' “lame duck” was, according to Féraud, a calque of English.^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}