ridicule French · revision 16705

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=c. 1500, Thérence en françois|origins=la rīdeō}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ʁi.di.kyl/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''ridicule''' (plural ridicules)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[bor|la|rīdiculus|t=laughable; funny, droll; absurd]],^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(Grand Robert 2005)^(FEW|10, 400b)^(Wiktionary) from [[m|la|rīdeō|t=to laugh]] (see [[rire]]).^(DHLF 1992)^(Grand Robert 2005) The Latin word was used both in a good sense, “amusing, meant to make people laugh”, and in a bad one, “laughable, absurd”.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992) It drove out two Middle French words of the same family, [[m|frm|ridiculaire]] and [[m|frm|ridiculeux]] (both 15th century).^(TLFi)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The French Terence printed in 1500–03 uses the noun for something that provokes laughter: ''Tous tes ditz ne sont que fallaces ridiculles'' “all your words are only laughable deceits”, Octavien de Saint-Gelais's ''Eneide'' (before 1502) has the adjective, ''choses vaines et ridicules''.^(TLFi)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Compared with [[risible]], the word kept only the pejorative value, “exciting mockery”, and lost the sense “amusing on purpose” after La Bruyère (before 1696).^(DHLF 1992)^(GLLF 1989) Montaigne uses it of a person, ''se rendre ridicule'' (1580), and impersonally, ''il est ridicule que'' (1588); in the 19th century (Goncourt, 1865) it came to mean “insignificant, paltry”, especially of a sum of money.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ As a noun, ''le ridicule'' is the laughable side of a person or thing (before 1654, Molière, 1663) and ''un ridicule'' a foible that invites mockery, ''tourner en ridicule'' (Pascal, 1657–59) and ''se donner le ridicule de'' (1747) are still in use.^(DHLF 1992)^(TLFi) The verb [[ridiculiser]] (before 1648) had trouble establishing itself in the 17th century.^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1500–03 – The noun, French Terence.^(TLFi)

+ * Before 1502 – The adjective, Octavien de Saint-Gelais.^(TLFi)

+ * 1552 – [[ridiculement]].^(DHLF 1992)

+ * 1580 – ''Se rendre ridicule'', Montaigne.^(TLFi)

+ * Before 1648 – [[ridiculiser]].^(DHLF 1992)

+ * 1657 – ''Tourner en ridicule'', Pascal.^(DHLF 1992)

+ * 1747 – ''Se donner le ridicule de''.^(DHLF 1992)

+ * 1865 – “Paltry”, of a sum, the Goncourts.^(TLFi)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Adjective===

+ # [[m|en|ridiculous]], laughable; that invites mockery: ''se sentir ridicule'', ''Les Précieuses ridicules''.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Wiktionary)

+ # Absurd, unreasonable: ''une prétention ridicule'', ''il est ridicule de''.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(TLFi)

+ # Paltry, derisory: ''une somme ridicule''.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ===Noun===

+ # ''Le ridicule'': ridiculousness, the laughable side of something; [[m|en|ridicule]]: ''tourner en ridicule'', ''le ridicule ne tue pas''.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(DHLF 1992)

+ # ''Un ridicule'': a laughable trait or habit: ''les ridicules de quelqu'un''.^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[ridiculement]]

+ * [[ridiculiser]]

+ * [[ridiculité]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[rire]]

+ * [[risible]]

+ * [[dérisoire]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ Another ''ridicule'' was the name of a small lady's handbag about 1800 (recorded 1798–99), a popular alteration of [[réticule]], borrowed at the same time from [[la|rēticulum|t=little net]]; from the early 20th century ''réticule'' was again the normal form, and ''ridicule'' was said only as a joke.^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(Grand Robert 2005)^(BHVF)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}