espèce French · revision 17275

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=12th century, Vie de saint Alexis (espesse)|origins=la speciō}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ɛs.pɛs/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''espèce''' ''f'' (plural espèces)^(Wiktionary)

+ First written ''espesse'' (12th century); the spelling ''espèce'' is used from the 13th century.^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[bor|la|speciēs|t=sight, look; appearance, aspect; type; particular case; category]].^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(FEW|12, 155b) The sense “subdivision of a genus” renders [[grc|εἶδος|tr=eîdos]] in the language of philosophy, as [[genre]] renders [[m|grc|γένος|tr=génos]].^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(DHLF 1992) In Christian Latin “speciēs” also meant the matter of a sacrament, said of baptismal salt, and in imperial Latin “goods, wares”.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992) The Latin noun is derived from [[m|la|speciō|t=to look at]], which Rey connects, like the Frankish verb behind [[épier]], with an Indo-European root [[ine-pro|*spek-|t=to observe]].^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ The same Latin word gave the older borrowing [[épice]] “spice”, its doublet.^(Wiktionary)^(Grand Robert 2005)^(Petit Robert 2007) Cognate with [[it|specie]], [[es|especie]] and [[pt|espécie]].^(Littré 1873)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The first record, in a manuscript of the ''Vie de saint Alexis'' (12th century), is the isolated phrase ''vraie espesse'' “a true sign, a revelation of God”.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Jean de Meun (1269–78) uses it for a kind of living beings, here the human race, ''humaine espece'' is found in 1370 and ''espèce humaine'' in the 18th century.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992) From 1314 it means more generally “category, sort”, and in medicine the same author, Henri de Mondeville, uses it for “appearance”.^(TLFi) Scholastic philosophy spoke of ''espèces sensibles'', the images thought to pass from things into the senses.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992) In theology the ''espèces'' are the bread and wine of the Eucharist (Calvin 1545, singular; plural before 1656).^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ As in Latin, the word meant “goods”, and ''en espèces'' “in goods” was replaced by ''en espèces'' “in coin” (1740, ''espèces sonnantes''); the sense “coin, cash” dates from the late 15th century.^(DHLF 1992) ''Une espèce de'' “a sort of” (1587) is used of a person or thing hard to define, and the familiar ''un espèce de'', agreeing with the following masculine noun, is recorded from 1705 and condemned by purists.^(DHLF 1992)^(TLFi) In law ''espèce'' is a particular case (1670–81), whence ''cas d'espèce'' and ''en l'espèce''; in natural history (mid-18th century) it became the basic unit of classification.^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 12th century – ''Vraie espesse'' “a sign from God”, ''Vie de saint Alexis''.^(TLFi)

+ * 1269–78 – A category of living beings, Jean de Meun.^(TLFi)

+ * 1314 – “Kind, sort” and “appearance”, Henri de Mondeville.^(TLFi)

+ * Late 15th century – Coin, cash.^(DHLF 1992)

+ * 1545 – The bread of the Eucharist, Calvin.^(TLFi)

+ * 1587 – ''Espèce de'' “sort of”.^(TLFi)

+ * 1670–81 – A particular case in law, Patru.^(TLFi)

+ * 1705 – ''Un espèce de'', with masculine agreement.^(DHLF 1992)

+ * Mid-18th century – A biological species.^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A [[m|en|kind]], [[m|en|sort]], type: ''des fruits de toute espèce''.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''Une espèce de'': a sort of; before a noun as an insult, ''espèce d'idiot!''^(Petit Robert 2007)^(DHLF 1992)

+ # ''(biology)'' A [[m|en|species]]: ''l'espèce humaine'', ''une espèce menacée''.^(Wiktionary)^(Le Robert)

+ # ''(in the plural)'' Cash, coin: ''payer en espèces''.^(Wiktionary)^(Petit Robert 2007)

+ # ''(law)'' A particular case: ''cas d'espèce'', ''en l'espèce'', in this case.^(DHLF 1992)^(Petit Robert 2007)

+ # ''(theology, in the plural)'' The bread and wine of the [[m|en|Eucharist]]: ''communier sous les deux espèces''.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Littré 1873)

+ # ''(literary)'' ''Sous les espèces de'': in the form of.^(Petit Robert 2007)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[sous-espèce]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[épice]]

+ * [[spécifique]]

+ * [[spécifier]]

+ * [[la|speciēs]]

+ * [[en|species]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ ''Un espèce de'' with a masculine noun is frequent in speech but considered incorrect; the standard form is ''une espèce de'' whatever the gender of the noun.^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}