charme French · revision 38600

+ {{homograph|1|hornbeam}}

+

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=c. 1170, Chrétien de Troyes, Erec et Enide|origins=la carpinus}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ʃaʁm/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''charme''' ''m'' (plural charmes)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ The tree name is [[inh|la|carpinus|t=hornbeam]].^(TLFi)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(Grand Robert 2005)^(Petit Robert 2007)^(FEW|2, 406b) Littré thought the standard form with /m/ was assimilated to the word for a magic spell, since dialects have forms closer to the Latin;^(Littré 1873) Meyer-Lübke lists [[pcd|karn]] and [[nrf|karn]].^(REW 1935) Littré also reports that the Latin word was believed to be Celtic;^(Littré 1873) Wiktionary connects it, probably, with [[ine-pro|*kh₂er-|t=hard]].^(Wiktionary)

+

+ Cognate with [[ro|carpin]], [[it|carpino]], [[pro|carpre]], [[es|carpe]] and [[pt|carpe]].^(REW 1935)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ It is first found about 1170 in Chrétien de Troyes's ''Erec et Enide'', naming the tree.^(TLFi)^(GLLF 1989)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ By metonymy the word also names the tree's hard white wood, used in carpentry, joinery and cartwrighting.^(TLFi)^(GLLF 1989) Its derivatives name places planted with hornbeams: ''charmoie'', found as the place name ''La Charmoye'' in 1257 and recorded by Cotgrave in 1611, and ''charmille'' (1690), a hedge or bower of young hornbeams.^(TLFi)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 1170 – Chrétien de Troyes, ''Erec et Enide''.^(TLFi)

+ * 1257 – The place name ''La Charmoye''.^(TLFi)

+ * 1690 – The derivative ''charmille''.^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # The [[m|en|hornbeam]], a tree of the genus ''Carpinus'' with hard, white, fine-grained wood.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Grand Robert 2005)^(TLFi)

+ # The wood of this tree.^(TLFi)^(GLLF 1989)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[charmille]]

+ * [[charmoie]]

+ * [[charmeraie]]

+

+ {{homograph|2|charm, spell}}

+

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=c. 1160|origins=la carmen}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ʃaʁm/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''charme''' ''m'' (plural charmes)^(Wiktionary)

+ Anglo-Norman also [[m|xno|cherme]].^(AND)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ The word for a spell is [[inh|la|carmen|t=rhythmic formula, incantation; song, poem]].^(DHLF 1992)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(Grand Robert 2005)^(Wiktionary)^(FEW|2, 379a) Rey explains that the Latin word first belonged to religious and legal language before taking the wider literary sense “song”, and that it is related to [[m|la|canō|t=to sing]], perhaps through dissimilation of an earlier [[m|la|*canmen]].^(DHLF 1992) Bloch and Wartburg note that among the Romance languages only French has kept it.^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ In the 12th century it means a magic formula or spell: ''Il dit un charme que il avoit aprins'' (“he spoke a charm that he had learned”, ''Garin''), and in the ''Livre des Rois'' David finds ''charmes'' with which he used to soothe pain.^(Littré 1873)^(DHLF 1992)^(Grand Robert 2005)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Rey describes the history of the word as a gradual weakening of the sense “magic formula”.^(DHLF 1992) By metonymy it named the magic power itself and, in the 16th century, a magic object.^(DHLF 1992) This strong sense survives in ''sous le charme'', in ''le charme est rompu'' and in ''se porter comme un charme'', to be in excellent health, as if under a good spell.^(DHLF 1992)^(Petit Robert 2007)

+

+ From the 17th century it came to mean an attraction, a quality that pleases, found in Corneille in 1641;^(DHLF 1992)^(GLLF 1989) ''les charmes'' had already named a woman's physical attractions (''amoureux charmes'', 1578), and ''avoir du charme'' and ''faire du charme'' date from 1817.^(DHLF 1992) In 1964 it passed into physics to render [[en|charm]], a property of quarks.^(DHLF 1992) The verb [[charmer]] (about 1150) followed the same path, from casting a spell to pleasing (1560), and so did [[charmant]] (1550, “delightful”, 1629–1630).^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 1150 – The verb ''charmer'', to cast a spell.^(DHLF 1992)

+ * c. 1160 – ''Charme'' “magic formula”.^(Grand Robert 2005)^(DHLF 1992)

+ * 16th century – A magic object.^(DHLF 1992)

+ * 1578 – ''Amoureux charmes'', a woman's attractions.^(DHLF 1992)

+ * 1641 – Corneille: an attraction that draws one to someone.^(GLLF 1989)

+ * 1817 – ''Avoir du charme'', ''faire du charme''.^(DHLF 1992)

+ * 1964 – The physics sense, after English ''charm''.^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # ''(old or in phrases)'' A magic [[m|en|spell]], an enchantment: ''jeter un charme'', ''être sous le charme'', ''le charme est rompu'', the illusion is over.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Le Robert)^(Larousse)

+ # A magic object, an [[m|en|amulet]].^(Petit Robert 2007)^(GLLF 1989)

+ # An attractive quality that pleases; [[m|en|charm]], appeal: ''avoir du charme'', ''faire du charme'', to turn on the charm.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Larousse)^(DHLF 1992)

+ # ''(plural, dated)'' A woman's physical attractions.^(Littré 1873)^(DHLF 1992)

+ # ''(physics)'' Charm, a quantum number characteristic of certain [[m|en|quark|alt=quarks]].^(Larousse)^(DHLF 1992)

+ # ''Se porter comme un charme'': to be in excellent health.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[charmer]]

+ * [[charmant]]

+ * [[charmeur]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[chanter]]

+ * [[la|carmen]]

+ * [[la|carpinus]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}