au-dessus French · revision 17202

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=compound|attested=1155 (figurative); 13th century (spatial)}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /o.d(ə).sy/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''au-dessus''' (invariable)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[af|fr|au|dessus]], the contracted article “au” (“à” + “le”) with the adverb “dessus”.^(Littré 1873)^(DHLF 1992) “Dessus” continues [[la|dēsūrsum|t=from above]], formed from [[m|la|dē]] and [[m|la|sūrsum|t=upwards]].^(DHLF 1992)^(TLFi)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Rey dates the figurative use of the locution to 1155, and the spatial “above, higher up” to the 13th century, Littré quotes the 12th-century poet Couci: ''De moi estes au dessus'' “you are above me”.^(DHLF 1992)^(Littré 1873)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The prepositional ''au-dessus de'' is found with a spatial sense in 1375, and of an order of size from 1568, as in ''au-dessus de zéro'' or ''les enfants au-dessus de sept ans''.^(DHLF 1992)^(Littré 1873) Used of rivers, ''au-dessus de'' means upstream of.^(Littré 1873)^(TLFi) In the figurative ''être au-dessus de'' something, one is above it, not affected by it.^(TLFi)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1155 – Figurative use.^(DHLF 1992)

+ * 13th century – Spatial “above”.^(DHLF 1992)

+ * 1375 – ''Au-dessus de'' in space.^(DHLF 1992)

+ * 1568 – ''Au-dessus de'' of size or quantity.^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Adverb===

+ # [[m|en|above]], higher up: ''il habite au-dessus''.^(Wiktionary)^(Littré 1873)^(TLFi)

+

+ ===Preposition===

+ # ''Au-dessus de'': above, over: ''au-dessus des genoux''.^(TLFi)^(Littré 1873)

+ # ''Au-dessus de'': more than, beyond: ''au-dessus de zéro'', ''au-dessus de sept ans''.^(Littré 1873)^(DHLF 1992)

+ # ''Au-dessus de'': upstream of, north of: ''au-dessus de Paris''.^(Littré 1873)^(TLFi)

+ # ''(figurative)'' ''Être au-dessus de'': to be superior to, above: ''au-dessus de tout soupçon''.^(TLFi)

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[dessus]]

+ * [[au-dessous]]

+ * [[par-dessus]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}