sec French · revision 15993

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=c. 980, Valenciennes Fragment|origins=la siccus}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /sɛk/^(Wiktionary)

+ * IPA: /sɛkʲ/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''sec''' (feminine sèche, masculine plural secs, feminine plural sèches)^(Wiktionary)

+ [[fro|sec]], feminine ''seche'', ''sèche'' in the Académie from 1740.^(TLFi)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|fro|sec]], [[inh|la|siccus|t=dry; sober; cold, unemotional]],^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(FEW|11, 584a) which Rey relates to [[grc|ἰσχνός|tr=iskhnós|t=dry, lean]] and to the root of [[sa|सिञ्चति|tr=siñcáti|t=he pours]].^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ Cognate with [[it|secco]], [[pro|sec]], [[es|seco]] and [[pt|seco]].^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(Littré 1873)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The ''Valenciennes Fragment'' (about 980) has ''E cilg eedre fu seche'', and the ivy withered: of a plant that has lost its moisture.^(TLFi)^(Littré 1873)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ In the early 12th century it was what contains no water (''Saint Brendan''), and about 1150 dry weather (''Thèbes''); ''saison sèche'' is in Froissart.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992) Food dried for keeping is ''sec'' from 1273 (''ognons sais''), whence ''fruits secs'' (1690).^(TLFi) By extension it describes what lacks its usual liquid or companion: ''pierre sèche'' “without mortar” (1150–1170), ''toux sèche'' (about 1210), ''pain sec'' (1342), ''argent sec'' “ready money” (1260) and ''payer tout sec'' (Beaumanoir).^(TLFi)^(Littré 1873) A ''vin sec'' (Jean Bodel, 1200) is not sweet, and a lean person is ''sec'' (''Eneas'', about 1160, ''sec comme un hareng'', 1845).^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ Figuratively a ''cœur sec'' lacks tenderness (about 1225), and Brunetto Latini (about 1265) warns that speech should not be ''maigre ne sec''.^(TLFi)^(Littré 1873) ''À sec'' “out of the water” (Wace, 1155) gave ''mettre à sec'' and ''être à sec'' “broke” (1536), and in school slang ''rester sec'' is to be unable to answer (1866).^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992) As an adverb ''sec'' means “sharply” (''parler sec'', Commynes) and ''boire sec'' “to drink hard” (1640).^(TLFi)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 980 – ''Seche'' in the ''Valenciennes Fragment''.^(TLFi)

+ * c. 1120 – ''Sécheresse''.^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)

+ * c. 1150 – Dry weather.^(TLFi)

+ * 1155 – ''A sec'' “out of the water”, in Wace.^(TLFi)

+ * c. 1160 – “Lean”, of a person.^(TLFi)

+ * 1200 – ''Vin sec'' in Jean Bodel.^(TLFi)

+ * 1342 – ''Pain sec''.^(TLFi)

+ * 1536 – ''Mettre qqn à sec''.^(TLFi)

+ * 1640 – ''Boire sec''.^(TLFi)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Adjective===

+ # [[m|en|dry|alt=Dry]]: ''bois sec'', ''temps sec'', ''avoir la gorge sèche''.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Wiktionary)

+ # Dried: ''fruits secs'', ''raisins secs''.^(TLFi)^(Wiktionary)

+ # Lean, thin: ''un grand sec''.^(Wiktionary)^(TLFi)

+ # Dry (of wine), not sweet.^(Wiktionary)^(TLFi)

+ # Curt, sharp; unfeeling: ''un ton sec'', ''un cœur sec''.^(Wiktionary)^(TLFi)

+ # Plain, unaccompanied: ''pain sec'', ''un whisky sec'', ''pierre sèche''.^(TLFi)^(GLLF 1989)

+ # Sharp, short: ''un coup sec'', ''un bruit sec''.^(TLFi)^(Larousse)

+

+ ===Noun===

+ # ''Au sec'': in a dry place, ''à sec'': dried up, ''(familiar)'' broke.^(Larousse)^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ===Adverb===

+ # Sharply, briskly: ''démarrer sec'', ''boire sec'', ''aussi sec'': straight away.^(Larousse)^(TLFi)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[sécheresse]]

+ * [[sécher]]

+ * [[sécheresse]]

+ * [[séchoir]]

+ * [[dessécher]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[la|siccus]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}