foire French · revision 16010

+ French has two words ''foire'': “fair”, from Late Latin ''feria'', and the vulgar “diarrhoea”, from Latin ''foria''.^(Grand Robert 2005)^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Littré 1873)^(Wiktionary)

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+ {{homograph|1|fair}}

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+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=c. 1130, Eneas|origins=la fēriae}}

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+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /fwaʁ/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''foire''' ''f'' (plural foires)^(Wiktionary)

+ [[fro|feire]] (about 1130), ''foire'' from the 13th century.^(DHLF 1992)^(GLLF 1989)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|fro|feire]], [[inh|la-lat|fēria|t=market, fair]], from classical [[la|fēriae|t=days of rest, holidays]], since fairs were held on religious feast days (the Roman “feriae novendiales” were a market every ninth day).^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)^(Grand Robert 2005)^(FEW|3, 462b) Medieval Latin kept “feria” for the fair (8th–9th centuries).^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992) “Feriae” belongs to an Indo-European root of religious value found only in Italic (see [[férie]], [[férié]]).^(DHLF 1992)

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+ Compare [[it|fiera]], [[es|feria]], [[ca|fira]], [[pro|feira]] and [[pt|feira]], which means a weekday.^(REW 1935)^(Littré 1873)

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+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ ''Eneas'' (about 1130–1160) has ''feire'', a great public market;^(TLFi)^(GLLF 1989) Wace's ''Roman de Rou'' says the court of Richard was always like a fair or a market.^(Littré 1873)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ A ''foire'' was a large market held on fixed dates and places, especially in the country, and later, with industry, a large trade show (early 20th century, also ''foire-exposition'').^(DHLF 1992)^(GLLF 1989) Phrases include ''s'entendre comme larrons en foire'' (1650), ''foire franche'' (1745), ''champ de foire'' and ''foire aux puces''.^(GLLF 1989) From the idea of festivity it took the sense of a local funfair (late 19th century), whence ''hercule de foire'' and ''faire la foire'' “to live it up”, Old French ''mettre son corps en foire'' meant to prostitute oneself.^(DHLF 1992)^(GLLF 1989) From 1922 it is also a noisy, disorderly place.^(DHLF 1992)^(Petit Robert 2007)

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+ The word is linked in meaning with ''forain'', which it probably influenced, ''foirail'' (1864) is the fairground in the south.^(DHLF 1992) In Mauritius a ''foire'' is a weekly market.^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 1130 – ''Feire'' in ''Eneas''.^(GLLF 1989)

+ * 13th century – The form ''foire''.^(DHLF 1992)

+ * 1650 – ''Comme larrons en foire''.^(GLLF 1989)

+ * 1676 – “A present from the fair”, in Mme de Sévigné.^(BHVF)

+ * 1745 – ''Foire franche''.^(GLLF 1989)

+ * 1864 – ''Foirail''.^(DHLF 1992)

+ * Late 19th century – A funfair.^(DHLF 1992)

+ * 1922 – “A noisy place”.^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A [[m|en|fair]], market: ''foire aux bestiaux'', ''champ de foire''.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Larousse)

+ # A trade fair, exhibition: ''la foire de Leipzig''.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Larousse)

+ # A funfair: ''la foire du Trône''.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Larousse)

+ # ''(familiar)'' A bedlam, shambles, ''faire la foire'': to live it up.^(Larousse)^(DHLF 1992)

+ # Phrases: ''s'entendre comme larrons en foire'': to be as thick as thieves, ''foire d'empoigne'': free-for-all, ''foire aux questions'': FAQ.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[foirail]]

+ * [[forain]]

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+ {{homograph|2|diarrhoea}}

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+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=late 12th century, Audigier|origins=la foria}}

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+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /fwaʁ/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''foire''' ''f'' (plural foires)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|la|foria|t=diarrhoea]],^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)^(Grand Robert 2005)^(FEW|3, 711a) a word of obscure origin.^(DHLF 1992) Compare [[pro|foira]] and Norman “foure”.^(REW 1935)^(Littré 1873)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The parody ''Audigier'' (late 12th century) has ''foire''; a ''feire'' in Benoît de Sainte-Maure (about 1165) is uncertain, since another manuscript reads ''l'afaire''.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)

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+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The word is vulgar and old-fashioned, surviving mainly in the familiar ''avoir la foire'' “to be scared” (1865), compare ''avoir la colique''.^(DHLF 1992)^(Larousse) The verb ''foirer'' (1576) is now used of a charge that hangs fire (about 1600) and, from 1865, of anything that fails, ''foireux'' (late 12th century) has come to mean “cowardly” (1388) and “worthless, botched” (1872).^(DHLF 1992) ''Enfoiré'' (1905), long vulgar, was popularised by Coluche in the 1980s as a familiar term of address.^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * Late 12th century – ''Foire'' in ''Audigier'', ''foiroux''.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)

+ * 1576 – ''Foirer''.^(DHLF 1992)

+ * 1865 – ''Avoir la foire'' “to be scared”.^(DHLF 1992)

+ * 1872 – ''Foireux'' “botched”.^(DHLF 1992)

+ * 1905 – ''Enfoiré''.^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # ''(vulgar, dated)'' [[m|en|diarrhoea|alt=Diarrhoea]]: ''avoir la foire''.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(TLFi)

+ # ''(very familiar, dated)'' Fear.^(Larousse)^(TLFi)

+ # ''(slang)'' A mess, botch-up.^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[foirer]]

+ * [[foireux]]

+ * [[enfoiré]]

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+ ==Related words==

+ * [[férie]]

+ * [[la|fēriae]]

+ * [[la|foria]]

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+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}