poule French · revision 15711

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=13th century, Roman de Renart|origins=la pullus}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /pul/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''poule''' ''f'' (plural poules)^(Wiktionary)

+ ''Poulle'' (about 1340); Old French also had a masculine ''poul'' “cock”.^(TLFi)^(Grand Robert 2005)^(Petit Robert 2007)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|fro|poule]], [[inh|la|pulla|t=young hen]], the feminine of [[m|la|pullus|t=young of an animal; chicken]], the source of [[poulain]].^(DHLF 1992)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(Grand Robert 2005)^(Wiktionary)^(FEW|9, 536a) Latin “pullus” was used early for a young cock and gave Old French [[m|fro|poul]], which was ousted by [[coq]] and by the derivative [[poulet]].^(DHLF 1992)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(Petit Robert 2007) In the sense “young hen” “poule” in turn ousted Old French [[m|fro|geline]], from [[la|gallīna]], which survives in dialects and in [[it|gallina]] and [[es|gallina]].^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(DHLF 1992)^(Grand Robert 2005)

+

+ The Latin word goes back to an Indo-European root for the young of an animal, seen also in [[grc|πῶλος|tr=pôlos|t=foal]] and [[de|Fohlen]].^(Petit Robert 2007)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ In a 13th-century manuscript of the ''Roman de Renart'' it is the female of the domestic cock;^(TLFi)^(Grand Robert 2005) the Bruges ''Livre des métiers'' (about 1340) has ''une poulle et deus pouchins''.^(TLFi)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The hen gave French a rich phraseology: ''se coucher avec les poules'' “to go to bed very early” (1813), ''poule mouillée'' “coward” (1648, Scarron), ''chair de poule'' “gooseflesh” (1762), ''tuer la poule aux œufs d'or'' (1767, after La Fontaine's fable), ''quand les poules auront des dents'' “never”.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)^(Wiktionary) ''Faire le cul de poule'' was first a gesture of the fingers (1611), then a pout (1660).^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ By extension it names other birds, as ''poule d'eau'' “moorhen” (1530) and ''poule de Guinée'' (1555), later called ''pintade'', and the females of other gallinaceous birds, as ''poule d'Inde'' (1542) and ''poule faisane''.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992) Used of women, it is a term of endearment (''ma poule'') and, in slang, a kept woman or a girlfriend.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 13th century – The hen (''Roman de Renart'').^(TLFi)^(Grand Robert 2005)

+ * 1530 – ''Poule d'eau''.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)

+ * 1542 – ''Poule d'Inde'' (Rabelais).^(TLFi)

+ * 1611 – ''Cul de poule''.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)

+ * 1648 – ''Poule mouillée'' (Scarron).^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)

+ * 1762 – ''Chair de poule'' (Académie).^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)

+ * 1767 – ''Tuer la poule aux œufs d'or''.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)

+ * 1813 – ''Se coucher avec les poules''.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A [[m|en|hen]], the female of the domestic [[m|en|fowl]]: ''poule pondeuse'', ''poule au pot''.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Wiktionary)

+ # The female of some other birds: ''poule faisane''^(TLFi)^(Petit Robert 2007); ''poule d'eau'', a [[m|en|moorhen]].^(TLFi)^(Petit Robert 2007)

+ # ''(familiar)'' A term of endearment: ''ma poule''.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(slang)'' A woman, a girlfriend^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Wiktionary); ''(dated)'' a kept woman.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''Poule mouillée'': a [[m|en|coward]].^(Petit Robert 2007)^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[poulailler]]

+ * [[poularde]]

+ * [[poulet]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[poulain]]

+ * [[coq]]

+ * [[géline]]

+ * [[la|pullus]]

+ * [[en|pullet]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ A second ''poule'' (from 1665) is the stake or pool in cards and then billiards; its development is obscure, perhaps from the bird, and English ''pool'' seems to come from it.^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Académie 9) Through English it came back as the name of a group of teams in a tournament (''phase de poules'') and of races such as ''poule d'essai'' (1856).^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Larousse)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}