puisque French · revision 17175

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=compound|attested=late 10th century, Passion de Clermont (post que)}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /pɥisk/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''puisque''' (conjunction)^(Wiktionary)

+ Written ''puis que'' in Old French, ''puisque'' is found in 1188, but the separate spelling lasts into the 17th century.^(GLLF 1989)^(TLFi) It is elided only before ''il'', ''elle'', ''en'', ''on'', ''un'', ''une''.^(Larousse)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[af|fr|puis|que]], from the use of “puis” as a preposition in Old French.^(TLFi)^(Grand Robert 2005)^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(Wiktionary) The sense shifted from time (“after”) to cause, as Paul Imbs showed.^(TLFi) “Puis” itself is from popular Latin [[la-vul|*postius]], a remaking of [[m|la|post|t=after]] and [[m|la|posteā]] on the model of [[m|la|melius]].^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)

+

+ Compare [[it|poiché]].^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ At the end of the 10th century the ''Passion'' of Clermont has ''post que'' “after”, and the ''Chanson de Roland'' (about 1100) has ''puis que'' both in this sense and with causal value: ''Puis quel comant, aler vus en estoet'' “since he commands it, you must go”.^(TLFi)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ In Old French ''puis que'' also meant “ever since” (about 1130), until ''depuis que'', its emphatic form, replaced it in the 14th century; the meaning “after” gradually weakened to “when”.^(TLFi) Chrétien de Troyes (1176–81) uses it for “provided that”.^(TLFi) The causal sense prevailed: ''puis'' could be separated from ''que'' (''et puys que avez parlé'', Noël du Fail 1548), notably by ''donc'' in the classical language, and the verb could be left out (1557).^(TLFi) ''Puisque'' also justifies a statement or a word just used.^(GLLF 1989)^(BHVF) In the 16th century Palsgrave says it was pronounced ''puique''.^(Littré 1873)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * late 10th century – ''Post que'' “after”, ''Passion''.^(TLFi)

+ * c. 1100 – Causal ''puis que'', ''Chanson de Roland''.^(TLFi)

+ * c. 1130 – “Ever since”.^(TLFi)

+ * 1176–81 – “Provided that”, Chrétien de Troyes.^(TLFi)

+ * 1188 – Written as one word.^(GLLF 1989)

+ * 14th century – ''Depuis que'' replaces it in the sense “since”.^(TLFi)

+ * 1548 – ''Puis … que'' separated, Noël du Fail.^(TLFi)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Conjunction===

+ # [[m|en|since]], as, seeing that (giving a cause presented as known or obvious): ''puisque personne ne t'attend, reste avec nous''.^(Larousse)^(GLLF 1989)

+ # Introducing the justification of a statement or of a word just used: ''le ministre, puisqu'il faut l'appeler ainsi''.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(GLLF 1989)

+ # In exclamations, with an implied conclusion: ''puisque je te le dis !''^(Larousse)^(BHVF)

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[puis]]

+ * [[depuis]]

+ * [[que]]

+ * [[parce que]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}