sérieux French · revision 16522

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=1370–71, Oresme|origins=la sērius}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /se.ʁjø/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''sérieux''' (feminine sérieuse, masculine plural sérieux, feminine plural sérieuses)^(Wiktionary)

+ The Académie wrote ''serieux'' until 1718 and ''sérieux'' from 1740.^(TLFi)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[bor|la-med|sēriōsus|t=serious]], from classical [[m|la|sērius|t=grave, earnest]], used of things (“verba sēria”).^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(Grand Robert 2005)^(Wiktionary)^(FEW|11, 514b) In Latin “sērium” “a serious matter” was opposed to [[m|la|iocus|t=jest]], Rey notes that “sērius” has been compared with Old High German and Lithuanian words meaning “heavy”.^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Oresme, translating Aristotle's ''Ethics'' (1370–71), opposes virtue in games to virtue ''en autres choses qui sont appellees serieuses'', things of importance.^(TLFi)^(Littré 1873)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The word was taken up again in the 16th century: Montaigne (1580) has ''un ouvrage serieux'' as opposed to a lighter one, and ''visage sérieux'' (1588), of a person who does not laugh.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992) In the 17th century it meant reflective, responsible (La Rochefoucauld), and well behaved, chaste (''fille modeste et serieuse'', Furetière 1690); a ''demande sérieuse'' is sincere (1690), and an affair that turns ''sérieuse'' dangerous (1718).^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992) ''Pièce sérieuse'' (1664) and Diderot's ''genre sérieux'' (1757) lie between tragedy and comedy.^(TLFi) As a noun, ''le sérieux'' (1647, criticised by Vaugelas) gave ''garder son sérieux'' (1707) and ''prendre au sérieux'' (1694, 1765–70).^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992) ''Acheteur sérieux'' dates from 1871, and popular speech uses ''sérieux'' as an adverb (Zola) and an interjection, “really?”.^(DHLF 1992)^(GLLF 1989)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1370–71 – “Important”, Oresme.^(TLFi)

+ * c. 1380 – ''Sérieusement''.^(DHLF 1992)

+ * 1580 – “Not for amusement”, Montaigne.^(TLFi)

+ * 1588 – Of a person, “grave”, Montaigne.^(TLFi)

+ * 1647 – The noun ''le sérieux''.^(TLFi)

+ * 1707 – ''Garder son sérieux'', Lesage.^(TLFi)

+ * 1757 – ''Genre sérieux'', Diderot.^(TLFi)

+ * 1871 – ''Acheteur sérieux''.^(GLLF 1989)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Adjective===

+ # [[m|en|serious]], responsible, reliable: ''un élève sérieux'', ''une entreprise sérieuse''.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Wiktionary)

+ # Grave, solemn: ''un air sérieux''.^(TLFi)^(Littré 1873)

+ # In earnest, sincere: ''c'est sérieux?'', ''une proposition sérieuse''.^(TLFi)^(Petit Robert 2007)

+ # Serious, dangerous: ''la situation est sérieuse''.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(TLFi)

+ # Considerable: ''une sérieuse augmentation''.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(TLFi)

+ # Not frivolous: ''une lecture sérieuse''.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(GLLF 1989)

+

+ ===Noun===

+ # Seriousness: ''garder son sérieux'', to keep a straight face, ''prendre au sérieux'', to take seriously.^(Larousse)^(TLFi)

+ # ''(popular)'' A one-litre beer glass.^(Larousse)^(BHVF)

+

+ ===Interjection===

+ # ''(informal)'' ''Sérieux?'': seriously? really?^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[sérieusement]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[la|sērius]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}