court French · revision 17180

+ {{homograph|1|short}}

+

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=c. 1100, Chanson de Roland (curt)|origins=la curtus}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /kuʁ/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''court''' (feminine courte, masculine plural courts, feminine plural courtes)^(Wiktionary)

+ Old French ''curt'' (1080), ''cort'' (1155); ''court'' from the 13th century.^(DHLF 1992)^(GLLF 1989)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ The adjective “short” is [[inh|fro|curt]], [[inh|la|curtus|t=shortened, docked; incomplete, insufficient]].^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(Grand Robert 2005)^(FEW|2, 1585b)^(Wiktionary) Rey traces “curtus” to the Indo-European root “*(s)ker-” “to cut, separate”, also behind [[m|la|corium|t=hide]] (see [[cuir]]) and [[m|la|carō|t=flesh]] (see [[chair]]).^(DHLF 1992) Where Latin said [[m|la|brevis]], “court” became the everyday word, the opposite of [[long]].^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ Cognate with [[it|corto]], [[es|corto]], [[pt|curto]], [[ca|curt]], [[pro|cort]] and [[ro|scurt]].^(REW 1935)^(Littré 1873)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ In the ''Chanson de Roland'' (about 1100) ''curt'' means of little length: ''curte la cuisse'', of a horse, and ''les hanstes sont curtes'', the spear shafts are short.^(TLFi)^(Littré 1873)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The sense “of short duration” is in Wace (1155, ''corte duree''), and “near in time” in ''a cort terme'' (late 12th century).^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992) Adverbial uses are early: ''tenir qqn de court'' “to keep a tight rein on someone” (about 1205), ''pour le faire court'' (about 1450), ''couper court'' (15th century).^(TLFi) Rabelais has ''avoir la mémoire courte'' (1532); ''être court de'' “to lack” (1556) gave ''être à court de'' (Flaubert, 1862), and ''pris de court'' is recorded in 1660.^(TLFi) Short-sightedness gave ''vues courtes'', narrow views (1690).^(TLFi) The word has gradually ceased to describe people, for whom ''petit'' is used, except in phrases such as ''court sur pattes''; in sub-Saharan Africa and Lebanon it can still mean “small”.^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 1100 – ''Curt'', ''Chanson de Roland''.^(TLFi)

+ * 1155 – ''Corte duree'', Wace.^(TLFi)

+ * c. 1205 – ''Tenir de court'', ''Roman de Renart''.^(TLFi)

+ * 1532 – ''Avoir la mémoire courte'', Rabelais.^(TLFi)

+ * 1660 – ''Pris de court'', Oudin.^(TLFi)

+ * 1862 – ''Être à court de'', Flaubert.^(TLFi)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Adjective===

+ # [[m|en|short]], of little length: ''cheveux courts'', ''une robe courte'', ''le plus court chemin''.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(TLFi)

+ # Of little duration, brief: ''un court séjour'', ''à court terme'', ''avoir la mémoire courte''.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(TLFi)

+ # Insufficient, limited: ''avoir la vue courte'', ''c'est un peu court''.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ===Adverb===

+ # Short: ''couper les cheveux court'', ''s'arrêter court'', ''couper court à'', to cut short.^(Larousse)^(TLFi)

+ # ''À court de'': short of, out of, ''prendre de court'', to catch unawares, ''tenir de court'', to keep on a tight rein.^(Larousse)^(TLFi)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[courtaud]]

+ * [[écourter]]

+ * [[raccourcir]]

+ * [[accourcir]]

+ * [[court-circuit]]

+ * [[court-bouillon]]

+

+ {{homograph|2|tennis court}}

+

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=1880, Petiot|origins=fro court}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /kuʁ/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''court''' ''m'' (plural courts)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ The tennis court is [[bor|en|court]], itself from Old French “court” “courtyard”, now [[cour]].^(Grand Robert 2005)^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(Wiktionary) It is thus a doublet of “cour” and [[cohorte]].^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ It is first recorded in 1880, in Petiot.^(Grand Robert 2005)^(Petit Robert 2007) Bloch and Wartburg date it to 1900.^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A tennis [[m|en|court]]: ''court en terre battue'', ''court central''.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[cour]]

+ * [[cohorte]]

+ * [[bref]]

+ * [[la|curtus]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}