milieu French · revision 17323

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=compound|attested=early 12th century, Oxford Psalter (el milliu des)}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /mi.ljø/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''milieu''' ''m'' (plural milieux)^(Wiktionary)

+ Old French [[m|fro|milliu]], [[m|fro|mileu]] and [[m|fro|meillieu]].^(TLFi)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[af|fr|mi-|lieu|t1=mid|t2=place]], literally “middle place”.^(DHLF 1992)^(Grand Robert 2005)^(GLLF 1989)^(Wiktionary)^(FEW|5, 394a) “Mi” continues [[la|medius|t=middle]].^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(Etymonline) Most Gallo-Romance dialects use [[mitan]] instead, and the south-west “mi”.^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)

+

+ Littré gives Picard “meyu” and Provençal “mieg luoc”.^(Littré 1873)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The ''Oxford Psalter'' (early 12th century) has ''el milliu des'' “in the midst of (a group of people)”, and also ''el milliu d'ans'' “in the course of the years”.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Gaimar (about 1140) uses ''en miliu de'' for “in the centre of”, Chrétien de Troyes (1174–1180) ''le mileu'' for the middle of a lance, and ''Floire et Blancheflor'' (late 12th century) for the centre of a space.^(TLFi) The time sense appears in the 16th century (Du Bellay, 1552–1560), and ''au beau milieu de'' in 1585.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ From 1613 it meant an intermediate position, and in classical French a wise mean, as in Pascal's ''il n'y a point de milieu'' (1656) and ''juste milieu'' (before 1662), later a political term.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992) Descartes (1639) uses it in physics for the medium in which a body is placed; it was taken up in zoology (1809), biology and, with Comte and Balzac (1842), for the conditions in which a person lives, and then for a person's social circle (1846).^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992) Since 1921 ''le Milieu'' has meant the underworld.^(DHLF 1992) English borrowed ''milieu'' “surroundings” in 1854.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * early 12th century – ''El milliu des'' in the ''Oxford Psalter''.^(TLFi)

+ * c. 1140 – ''En miliu d'Engleterre'' in Gaimar.^(TLFi)

+ * 1552–1560 – The middle of a period of time, in Du Bellay.^(TLFi)

+ * 1585 – ''Au beau milieu de''.^(TLFi)

+ * 1639 – A physical medium, in Descartes.^(TLFi)

+ * 1842 – The conditions of life, in Comte and Balzac.^(DHLF 1992)

+ * 1854 – English ''milieu''.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1921 – ''Le Milieu'', the underworld.^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # The [[m|en|middle]], centre: ''le milieu d'une place'', ''couper le pain par le milieu''.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Larousse)

+ # The middle of a period: ''au milieu de la nuit''.^(Larousse)

+ # ''Au milieu de'': in the midst of, among, ''au beau milieu de'': right in the middle of.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)

+ # ''(mathematics)'' The midpoint of a segment.^(Petit Robert 2007)

+ # A mean, a middle course: ''le juste milieu'', ''il n'y a pas de milieu''.^(DHLF 1992)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(science)'' A medium; an [[m|en|environment]].^(DHLF 1992)

+ # A social environment, circle: ''le milieu familial''.^(Wiktionary)^(DHLF 1992)

+ # ''Le Milieu'': the [[m|en|underworld]].^(DHLF 1992)

+ # ''(football)'' ''Milieu de terrain'': midfield; a midfielder.^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[mi-]]

+ * [[lieu]]

+ * [[mitan]]

+ * [[en|milieu]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}