rayon French · revision 17626

+ French has two words ''rayon'': the ray, formed from [[rai]], and the honeycomb, from Old French [[m|fro|ree]], of Frankish origin; the second gave the senses “shelf” and “department of a shop”.^(Grand Robert 2005)^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(Wiktionary)

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+ {{homograph|1|ray}}

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+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=derivation|attested=1474, Mystère de l'Incarnation|origins=la radius}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ʁɛ.jɔ̃/^(Wiktionary)

+ * IPA: /ʁe.jɔ̃/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''rayon''' ''m'' (plural rayons)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ The ray is [[af|fr|rai|-on]], a derivative of the old word for a ray of light, from [[la|radius|t=staff, spoke, ray]].^(TLFi)^(Grand Robert 2005)^(Wiktionary)^(FEW|10, 21b) Wiktionary notes that it is unrelated to the verb [[rayer]].^(Wiktionary) Cognate with [[it|raggio]], [[pro|rai]], [[ca|raig]] and [[es|rayo]], which continue the Latin noun.^(REW 1935)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The ''Mystère de l'Incarnation'' (1474) speaks of the ''reons du soleil'', the sun's rays.^(TLFi)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ In the 16th century the image of a ray of light was applied to a feeling, a favour or a quality (1547, Marguerite de Navarre) and to the eyes and gaze (1549, Ronsard).^(TLFi) From the Latin senses of ''radius'' came the spokes of a wheel (1538, Estienne), the radius of a circle (1639, Mersenne) and the radius of the forearm (1562, Paré).^(TLFi)^(Littré 1873)

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+ The Encyclopédie (1753) uses it for the direction in which light or heat travels;^(TLFi) ''rayons X'' and ''rayons Röntgen'' appear in 1896, after German ''X-Strahlen''.^(TLFi) From the radius of a circle came the area it defines (1823) and ''rayon d'action'', range (1890).^(TLFi)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1474 – ''Reons du soleil''.^(TLFi)

+ * 1538 – Estienne: the spokes of a wheel.^(TLFi)

+ * 1547 – Marguerite de Navarre: a ray of a feeling or favour.^(TLFi)

+ * 1562 – Paré: the radius bone.^(TLFi)

+ * 1639 – Mersenne: the radius of a circle.^(TLFi)^(BHVF)

+ * 1896 – ''Rayons X''.^(TLFi)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A [[m|en|ray]] or [[m|en|beam]] of light: ''un rayon de soleil''.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(figurative)'' A glimmer: ''un rayon d'espoir''.^(TLFi)^(Petit Robert 2007)

+ # ''(physics)'' The path of a [[radiation]], ''rayons X'', ''rayons gamma''.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Wiktionary)

+ # A [[m|en|spoke]] of a wheel.^(Wiktionary)^(Petit Robert 2007)

+ # ''(geometry)'' The [[m|en|radius]] of a circle or sphere.^(Wiktionary)^(Petit Robert 2007)

+ # A distance around a point; an area: ''dans un rayon de dix kilomètres'', ''rayon d'action'', range.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(TLFi)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[rayonner]]

+ * [[rayonnant]]

+ * [[rayonnement]]

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+ {{homograph|2|honeycomb; shelf}}

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+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=derivation|attested=1429|origins=frk *hrāta}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ʁɛ.jɔ̃/^(Wiktionary)

+ * IPA: /ʁe.jɔ̃/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''rayon''' ''m'' (plural rayons)^(Wiktionary)

+ Middle French [[m|frm|royon]] (1429); ''rayon'' from 1538.^(DHLF 1992)^(GLLF 1989)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ The honeycomb is derived from Old French [[m|fro|ree|t=honeycomb]] (about 1120), [[der|frk|*hrāta|t=honeycomb]].^(DHLF 1992)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(Grand Robert 2005)^(FEW|16, 237b) The Frankish word is inferred from [[dum|râte|alt=râta]] “virgin honey” and, from the Reichenau Glosses, which gloss [[la|favus|t=honeycomb]] with [[m|la-lat|frata]].^(DHLF 1992)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989) The Grand Robert notes that speakers now often connect this word with the ray's sense “shelf”.^(Grand Robert 2005)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ As ''royon'' (1429) it meant a pigeonhole or compartment, an analogical sense recorded before the proper sense, the honeycomb (''rayon de miel'', 1538, Estienne).^(DHLF 1992)^(GLLF 1989)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ In the 17th century it named the small square divisions of a merchant's cupboard (1690, Furetière), then any storage shelf (in Quebec in 1698, Diderot, 1747).^(DHLF 1992)^(BHVF) By metonymy it came to mean the counters of a shop given to one kind of goods (1841), the sense used by Zola in 1883.^(DHLF 1992)^(GLLF 1989) The phrase ''c'est mon rayon'', “it's my field”, very probably comes from this commercial use;^(DHLF 1992)^(Petit Robert 2007) ''en connaître un rayon'', to know a lot about something, is more abstract.^(DHLF 1992)^(Petit Robert 2007)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 1120 – Old French ''ree'' “honeycomb”.^(GLLF 1989)^(DHLF 1992)

+ * 1429 – ''Royon'' “compartment”.^(DHLF 1992)^(GLLF 1989)

+ * 1538 – ''Rayon de miel'' in Estienne.^(GLLF 1989)^(Grand Robert 2005)

+ * 1690 – Furetière: divisions of a merchant's cupboard.^(DHLF 1992)

+ * 1698 – A shelf, in Quebec.^(DHLF 1992)

+ * 1841 – A department of a shop.^(DHLF 1992)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A [[m|en|honeycomb]], the comb of wax cells built by bees.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Wiktionary)

+ # A [[m|en|shelf]]: ''les rayons d'une bibliothèque''.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(GLLF 1989)

+ # A [[m|en|department]] of a large shop: ''le rayon des bagages'', ''chef de rayon''.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(familiar)'' ''C'est (pas) mon rayon'': it's (not) my field, ''en connaître un rayon'': to know a lot about something.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(DHLF 1992)

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+ ==Word family==

+ * [[rayonnage]]

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+ ==Related words==

+ * [[rai]]

+ * [[radius]]

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+ ==Usage notes==

+ ''Rayonne'', artificial silk (1930), was borrowed from [[en|rayon]], itself taken from the French word for a ray; pronounced as in English, it became feminine.^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989) The Grand Robert gives a third ''rayon'', a furrow or trench (16th century); Littré records a Berry ''rion'', a plough furrow.^(Grand Robert 2005)^(Littré 1873)

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+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}