fou French · revision 15911

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=c. 1100, Chanson de Roland|origins=la follis}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /fu/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''fou''' (masculine singular before vowel fol, feminine folle, masculine plural fous or (obsolete) foux, feminine plural folles)^(Wiktionary)

+ [[fro|fol]], ''fou'' from the late 12th century, ''fol'' kept before a vowel (''un fol espoir'') and in set phrases; feminine ''folle''.^(GLLF 1989)^(DHLF 1992)^(TLFi)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|fro|fol]], [[inh|la|follis|t=bellows; inflated bag; ball]],^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(FEW|3, 688b) which in Late Latin had come to mean “foolish, idiot”.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992) The fool was likened in jest to a ball blown up with air, going this way and that; the change of sense was complete by the 6th century.^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(GLLF 1989) Rey compares French [[ballot]] and refers “follis” to an imitative Indo-European root “*bhol-” of blowing and swelling.^(DHLF 1992) The old sense “bellows” lasted in French until the 16th century.^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ Cognate with [[it|folle]], [[pro|fol]] and [[ca|foll]].^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989) [[en|fool]] and [[en|folly]] come from Old French (13th century).^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The ''Chanson de Roland'' (about 1100) uses ''fol'' as noun and adjective for an unreasonable person;^(TLFi)^(GLLF 1989) the ''Voyage of Saint Brendan'' (early 12th century) has ''fole pöur'' “mad fear”, already of a thing.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Throughout its history the word has expressed what is outside the norms of reason.^(DHLF 1992) It meant “wanton” (about 1200), whence ''folle femme'' “prostitute” (13th century) and ''femme folle de son corps'' (19th century);^(DHLF 1992) ''maison de fous'' (1890) replaced ''hôpital de fous'' (Pascal), and in the 20th century ''fou'' left the language of psychiatry.^(DHLF 1992)^(GLLF 1989) ''Fou de'' “mad with, mad about” dates from the 17th century (''fou d'amour'', Molière, 1669),^(DHLF 1992) ''plus on est de fous, plus on rit'' from the sense “merry, playful” (1690), and the intensive sense “huge, extraordinary” from ''prix fou'' (1793), ''un monde fou'' (1813) and ''un succès fou'' (1818).^(DHLF 1992)^(BHVF) Of moving things it means “erratic, free-running” (''roue folle'', ''folle avoine'', 1547).^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ The court jester, ''le fol du duc de Florence'', appears in Montaigne (1580).^(TLFi) In chess ''fou'' (Jean de Meun's ''fols'', 1275–1280, ''fou'' in Régnier, 1613) replaced Old French [[m|fro|alfin]], [[m|fro|aufin]], which came, probably through [[es|alfil]], from [[ar|الفيل|tr=al-fīl|t=the elephant]], the piece being first shaped as an elephant;^(TLFi)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989) the TLFi suggests a comparison of the piece beside the king with the jester at court,^(TLFi) and Bloch and Wartburg find it hard to see ''fou'' as an alteration of ''aufin''.^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989) The seabird ''fou'' (''fols'' before 1627) was named for letting itself be caught by hand.^(BHVF)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 1100 – ''Fol'' in the ''Chanson de Roland''.^(TLFi)

+ * Early 12th century – ''Fole pöur'' in ''Saint Brendan''.^(TLFi)

+ * 13th century – ''Folle femme''.^(DHLF 1992)

+ * 1275–1280 – The chessman, in Jean de Meun.^(TLFi)

+ * 1547 – ''Folle avoine''.^(DHLF 1992)

+ * 1580 – A court jester, in Montaigne.^(TLFi)

+ * 1669 – ''Fou d'amour'' in Molière.^(DHLF 1992)

+ * 1690 – ''Fou à lier'' in Furetière.^(GLLF 1989)

+ * 1793 – ''Prix fou''.^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Adjective===

+ # [[m|en|mad|alt=Mad]], insane, crazy: ''devenir fou'', ''fou à lier'': raving mad.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Wiktionary)

+ # Foolish, senseless: ''une idée folle''.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(GLLF 1989)

+ # ''Fou de'': beside oneself with; crazy about: ''fou de joie'', ''fou de musique''.^(DHLF 1992)^(Petit Robert 2007)

+ # Huge, tremendous: ''un succès fou'', ''un monde fou'', ''un temps fou''.^(DHLF 1992)^(Petit Robert 2007)

+ # Erratic, uncontrolled: ''roue folle'', ''herbes folles''.^(DHLF 1992)^(Petit Robert 2007)

+

+ ===Noun===

+ # A madman, lunatic; a [[m|en|fool]]: ''maison de fous''.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Wiktionary)

+ # A jester: ''le fou du roi''.^(Wiktionary)^(DHLF 1992)

+ # ''(chess)'' A [[m|en|bishop]].^(Larousse)^(Wiktionary)

+ # A gannet, booby: ''fou de Bassan''.^(Larousse)^(BHVF)

+ # ''(colloquial)'' A fan, enthusiast.^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[folâtre]]

+ * [[folichon]]

+ * [[folie]]

+ * [[follet]]

+ * [[affoler]]

+ * [[fol]]

+ * [[folle]]

+ * [[foufou]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[follicule]]

+ * [[la|follis]]

+ * [[en|fool]]

+ * [[en|folly]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ Another ''fou'' (13th century, ''Renart''), meaning “beech”, from [[la|fāgus]], survives only in dialects such as Burgundy, Normandy and Berry ''fau''.^(Littré 1873)^(Grand Robert 2005)^(REW 1935)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}