fête French · revision 17253

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=c. 1050, Vie de saint Alexis (feste)|origins=la fēstus}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA (France): /fɛt/^(Wiktionary)

+ * IPA: /fɛːt/^(Wiktionary)

+ * IPA: [feːt]^(Wiktionary)

+ * IPA: [fɛɪ̯t]^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''fête''' ''f'' (plural fêtes)^(Wiktionary)

+ Old French [[m|fro|feste]]; the spelling ''fête'' dates from the 17th century.^(DHLF 1992)^(GLLF 1989)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|fro|feste]], [[inh|la|fēsta]], neuter plural, taken as a feminine noun, of [[m|la|fēstus|t=festive, of a holiday]], “festa” stands for “festa dies” “feast day”.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(Grand Robert 2005)^(Wiktionary)^(FEW|3, 482a) Rey connects “fēstus”, like [[m|la|fēriae|t=holidays]] (whence [[férié]]), with an Indo-European root of religious value found only in Italic.^(DHLF 1992) Wiktionary takes it back to [[ine-pro|*dʰeh₁s-]].^(Wiktionary)

+

+ Cognate with [[it|festa]], [[pro|festa]], [[es|fiesta]] and [[pt|festa]].^(Littré 1873)^(DHLF 1992) It was borrowed as [[en|fête]] and [[de|Fete]].^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ In the ''Vie de saint Alexis'' (about 1050) it is a celebration held on a fixed day: ''cascune feste se fait acomunier'' “at every feast he takes communion”.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ From the religious feast it came to mean any rejoicing that breaks with daily life (late 12th century), a set of organised festivities (1273), a source of pleasure (13th century), a commemoration (late 14th century) and the feast of the saint whose name one bears (1668).^(DHLF 1992) ''Fête nationale'' appears in Mercier (1782) and spread after 1790.^(DHLF 1992) It also meant a fair (12th century) and an uproar (13th century).^(DHLF 1992)^(Littré 1873) Phrases include ''en fête'' (late 13th century), ''faire fête à quelqu'un'' (1680, of a dog already in the 16th century), ''faire la fête'' “to live it up” (1879) and the ironic threat ''ça va être ta fête'' (about 1965).^(DHLF 1992)^(BHVF) In Quebec French ''fête'' means a birthday.^(DHLF 1992)^(Wiktionary) The compound ''Fête-Dieu'' (1521) names Corpus Christi.^(DHLF 1992)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 1050 – ''Feste'', ''Vie de saint Alexis''.^(TLFi)

+ * Late 12th century – A celebration, Jean Bodel.^(GLLF 1989)

+ * 1273 – Organised festivities.^(DHLF 1992)

+ * 1521 – ''Fête-Dieu''.^(DHLF 1992)

+ * 1668 – One's saint's day.^(DHLF 1992)

+ * 1782 – ''Fête nationale'', Mercier.^(DHLF 1992)

+ * 1859 – ''Fêtard''.^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)

+ * 1879 – ''Faire la fête''.^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A religious [[m|en|feast]], holy day: ''les fêtes de Pâques'', ''la Fête-Dieu''.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Larousse)

+ # A public holiday or celebration: ''la fête nationale'', ''la fête de la musique''.^(Larousse)^(DHLF 1992)

+ # ''(in the plural)'' The holidays, especially Christmas and New Year: ''joyeuses fêtes''.^(Wiktionary)

+ # One's saint's day, name day: ''souhaiter sa fête à quelqu'un'', ''(Quebec)'' a [[m|en|birthday]].^(Wiktionary)^(DHLF 1992)

+ # A [[m|en|party]]: ''donner une fête'', ''faire la fête'', to party, ''fête foraine'', a [[m|en|funfair]].^(Wiktionary)^(Larousse)

+ # Rejoicing: ''en fête'', ''faire fête à quelqu'un'', to welcome warmly, ''se faire une fête de'', to look forward to.^(DHLF 1992)^(GLLF 1989)

+ # ''(familiar)'' ''Ça va être ta fête'': you're in for it.^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[fêter]]

+ * [[fêtard]]

+ * [[festoyer]]

+ * [[Fête-Dieu]]

+ * [[trouble-fête]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[festif]]

+ * [[festival]]

+ * [[festin]]

+ * [[festivité]]

+ * [[férié]]

+ * [[foire]]

+ * [[la|fēsta]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}