vache French · revision 16797

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=late 11th century; c. 1130, Laws of William the Conqueror|origins=la vacca}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /vaʃ/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''vache''' ''f'' (plural vaches)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|fro|vache]], [[inh|la|vacca|t=cow]].^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(Grand Robert 2005)^(FEW|14, 97a)^(Wiktionary) Rey compares [[sa|वशा|tr=vaśā́|t=heifer calving for the first time]], and notes that the general Indo-European vocabulary used one word for the male and female of domestic animals; the Petit Robert calls the Latin word of unknown origin.^(DHLF 1992)^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Littré 1873)

+

+ Cognate with [[ro|vacă]], [[it|vacca]], [[oc|vaca]], [[ca|vaca]], [[es|vaca]] and [[pt|vaca]]; [[pcd|vake]] is the Picard form.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(REW 1935)^(Littré 1873)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Rey dates it to the end of the 9th century, the Grand Robert to the late 11th; the TLFi's first record is the ''Laws of William the Conqueror'' (about 1130), for the breeding female of cattle.^(DHLF 1992)^(Grand Robert 2005)^(TLFi)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Its physical traits and supposed behaviour gave many phrases: ''dormir comme une vache'' (1492), ''poil de vache'' “red-haired” (Rabelais, 1534), ''plancher des vaches'' “dry land” (Rabelais, 1548), ''vache à lait'' “person who is milked for money” (1551), ''manger de la vache enragée'' “to suffer hardship” (1610).^(DHLF 1992)^(TLFi) ''Parler français comme une vache espagnole'' (1640) is probably an alteration of ''comme un Basque espagnol'', ''il pleut comme vache qui pisse'' and ''une vache n'y retrouverait pas son veau'' date from 1876.^(DHLF 1992)^(TLFi)^(GLLF 1989) ''Les sept vaches grasses et les sept vaches maigres'' recall Joseph's dream (Furetière, 1690).^(TLFi)

+

+ As an insult it meant a fat, ugly woman (1619), a woman of loose morals (1866) and, in slang, a policeman; as a familiar adjective, ''vache'' is “nasty, harsh”, whence [[vachement]] “terribly”.^(TLFi)^(Wiktionary) The ''maladie de la vache folle'' is a calque of English ''mad cow disease'' (1980s).^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * Late 9th century – First record according to Rey.^(DHLF 1992)

+ * c. 1130 – ''Laws of William the Conqueror''.^(TLFi)

+ * 1534 – ''Poil de vache'', Rabelais.^(TLFi)

+ * 1548 – ''Plancher des vaches'', Rabelais.^(DHLF 1992)

+ * 1610 – ''Manger de la vache enragée''.^(TLFi)

+ * 1640 – ''Parler français comme une vache espagnole''.^(TLFi)

+ * 1833 – ''Aller comme un tablier à une vache''.^(TLFi)

+ * 1876 – ''Il pleut comme vache qui pisse''.^(TLFi)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A [[m|en|cow]]: ''vache laitière'', dairy cow, ''la maladie de la vache folle'', mad cow disease.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Wiktionary)^(DHLF 1992)

+ # Cowhide: ''souliers de vache''.^(Littré 1873)^(GLLF 1989)

+ # ''Vache à lait'': a [[m|en|milch cow]], a person exploited for money, ''manger de la vache enragée'', to have a hard time, ''le plancher des vaches'', dry land.^(DHLF 1992)^(TLFi)

+ # ''(familiar, insulting)'' A nasty person, ''(old, vulgar)'' a woman of loose morals.^(TLFi)

+

+ ===Adjective===

+ # ''(familiar)'' [[m|en|nasty]], mean, harsh.^(Wiktionary)^(TLFi)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[vacher]]

+ * [[vacherie]]

+ * [[vachette]]

+ * [[vacherin]]

+ * [[vachement]]

+ * [[avachir]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[vaccin]]

+ * [[vaccine]]

+ * [[la|vacca]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}