classe French · revision 15885

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=14th century, Bersuire|origins=la classis}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /klas/^(Wiktionary)

+ * IPA: /klɑs/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''classe''' ''f'' (plural classes)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[bor|la|classis|t=division of the Roman people; group; levy of troops; fleet]],^(TLFi)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(FEW|2, 745b) first in the 14th century.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992) Rey says the Latin word probably meant “a call”, then the divisions of citizens liable to be called to arms and the force so raised, and then, once [[m|la|exercitus]] had taken the sense “land army”, a fleet.^(DHLF 1992) The ancients connected it with [[m|la|calō|t=to call]], but the development is hard to explain and it may be a technical loan from Etruscan.^(DHLF 1992) Littré followed the old explanation.^(Littré 1873)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ It is first found in Pierre Bersuire's translation of Livy (14th century), of the five classes into which Servius Tullius divided the Roman people by their wealth.^(TLFi)^(Littré 1873)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Bloch and Wartburg note that the other senses developed in French.^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989) In schools it named a body of pupils doing the same studies (1549), then the lesson (1611) and the classroom (1680).^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992) A second borrowing gave “fleet” (1559), which did not last but led to “naval levy” (1673) and, with the conscription of the Revolution, to the year's contingent called up for military service (1798); in army slang ''faire ses classes'' (1900) is “to do one's basic training”, and ''la classe'' meant discharge (1888).^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ The general sense “category of things or people sharing features” dates from 1690 and became a term of natural history with Tournefort's botany (1694).^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992) The social sense, a group of people of the same condition, appears with Quesnay in 1758 and was used by Robespierre in 1788;^(TLFi)^(BHVF) ''classe ouvrière'' is recorded in 1797 and the ''lutte des classes'' became a socialist term in the 19th century.^(DHLF 1992) The sense “rank, grade” (''de première classe'') dates from 1680, and ''avoir de la classe'' “to have quality, distinction” spread from horse breeders (1916) to general use (1937).^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 14th century – Bersuire's Roman ''classes''.^(TLFi)

+ * 1549 – A body of pupils.^(TLFi)

+ * 1559 – “Fleet”, a short-lived sense.^(TLFi)

+ * 1611 – Cotgrave records the sense “lesson”.^(TLFi)

+ * 1680 – “Classroom”, and “rank” (''auteurs de première classe''), in Richelet.^(TLFi)

+ * 1694 – Tournefort's classes of plants.^(TLFi)

+ * 1758 – Quesnay's social classes.^(TLFi)

+ * 1798 – The year's contingent of conscripts.^(TLFi)

+ * 1916 – ''Avoir de la classe'' among breeders.^(TLFi)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A social [[m|en|class]]: people of similar condition and interests: ''classe moyenne'', ''classe ouvrière'', ''lutte des classes''.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Larousse)

+ # A category or group of things or beings with features in common; in biology, a [[m|en|taxonomy|alt=taxonomic]] rank between phylum and order.^(Larousse)^(TLFi)

+ # A rank or grade by quality or comfort: ''billet de première classe''.^(Larousse)^(Petit Robert 2007)

+ # ''(familiar)'' Distinction, [[m|en|elegance]]: ''avoir de la classe''.^(TLFi)^(Larousse)

+ # A school class: the pupils taught together; the year of study; a lesson; a [[m|en|classroom]].^(Larousse)^(TLFi)

+ # ''(military)'' The [[m|en|conscript|alt=conscripts]] of one year.^(TLFi) ''Faire ses classes'': to do basic training.^(TLFi)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(programming)'' A class in object-oriented programming.^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[classement]]

+ * [[classer]]

+ * [[classeur]]

+ * [[classification]]

+ * [[classisme]]

+ * [[classiste]]

+ * [[sous-classe]]

+ * [[superclasse]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[classique]]

+ * [[la|classis]]

+ * [[en|class]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}