tas French · revision 17027

+ {{infobox|confidence=probable|formation=borrowing|attested=c. 1155, Wace, Roman de Brut|origins=frk *tas}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ta/^(Wiktionary)

+ * IPA: /tɑ/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''tas''' ''m'' (invariable)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ Its origin is not certain.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992) It is usually taken as [[bor|frk|*tas|t=heap]], inferred from [[dum|tas|t=heap; crowd]] and [[gml|tas|t=place where grain is stacked]], which also gave [[pro|tas]].^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)^(Grand Robert 2005)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(GLLF 1989)^(FEW|17, 316b) Wiktionary compares [[ang|tass]] and traces the Frankish word to [[gem-pro|*tassaz|t=heap, mow]].^(Wiktionary)

+

+ Heinrich Meier rejects a Germanic source, because the Gallo-Romance meanings point to “arranging, stacking, aligning” rather than simply “heap”, and suggests a word of the family of [[la|stō|t=to stand]].^(TLFi) Pierre Guiraud takes it as a noun from [[tasser]], from [[la|taxō|t=to touch repeatedly]], pointing to the early phrase “ferir a tas” “to strike hard”.^(DHLF 1992)^(Grand Robert 2005)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Wace's ''Roman de Brut'' (about 1155) uses it for a heap of corpses, ''Des ocis asemblout grant tas'', and for a crowd of people.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ ''Ferir a tas'' “to strike hard” was used from about 1160 to the 14th century, and ''a tas'' “in great quantity” (1172–1174) died out in classical French.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992) ''Un tas de'' “a lot of”, familiar or pejorative, dates from the 15th century, ''tas de…'' as an insult from 1818, and ''des tas de'' “lots of” from about 1880.^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ By about 1260 a ''tas'' was a small steel anvil, used by coin makers (1349) and button makers (1723).^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992) Masons cut stone ''sur le tas'' (1565), on the building site itself, and ''tas de charge'' (1567) is a course of stones supporting an arch; from this come slang ''sur le tas'' “at work” (1872), ''grève sur le tas'' “sit-down strike” (1949) and ''formation sur le tas'' “on-the-job training”.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)^(BHVF) In the French of Africa and Madagascar a ''tas'' is an agreed quantity of fruit or vegetables.^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 1155 – A heap; a crowd, Wace.^(TLFi)

+ * c. 1160 – ''Ferir a tas'', ''Roman d'Eneas''.^(TLFi)

+ * c. 1260 – A small anvil.^(TLFi)

+ * 15th century – ''Un tas de'' “a lot of”.^(DHLF 1992)

+ * 1565 – ''Tailler sur le tas''.^(TLFi)

+ * 1872 – Slang ''sur le tas''.^(TLFi)

+ * 1949 – ''Grève sur le tas''.^(BHVF)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A [[m|en|heap]], a [[m|en|pile]]: ''un tas de sable'', ''mettre en tas''.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(familiar)'' A lot: ''un tas de choses'', ''des tas de gens'', ''tas de…'', bunch of… (as an insult).^(Petit Robert 2007)^(DHLF 1992)

+ # ''Sur le tas'': on the job, at the place of work: ''formation sur le tas'', ''grève sur le tas''.^(DHLF 1992)^(BHVF)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(familiar)'' A heavy, clumsy person: ''un gros tas''.^(Petit Robert 2007)

+ # ''(technical)'' A small anvil.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[tasser]]

+ * [[entasser]]

+ * [[tasserie]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}