§ 246. Feminine Nouns ending in -n. (a) Most feminine substantives in -n are learned' words in -ion derived directly from corresponding feminine Latin substantives in -ionem: légion (legionem); action (actionem). Many have been formed from French sources, after the same model. These also are feminine: légalisation; légaliser. By far the greater number in both series are abstract nouns. (b) The following feminine substantives of popular formation also have their origin in Latin nouns in io, ionem: All words in -aison, la maison (mansionem); la raison, (rationem), etc., etc. La façon (contrefaçon), la leçon, la rançon, are derived respectively from factionem, lectionem, redemptionem. La boisson (bibitionem, Low Latin); La moisson (messionem); la cuisson (coctionem); la cloison (clansionem, Low Latin); la toison (tonsionem); foison (fusionem). La prison (prehensionem), and la trahison (traditionem). (c) La garnison and la guérison are from garnir and guêrir respectively. Une démangeaison is from verb démanger. Similarly the rarer words échauffaison, fauchaison, flottaison, pendaison, from échauffer, etc.* (d) The rare masculine nouns in -ion are variously derived : Le septentrion, north, is from Latin septentrionem, which is masculine. So scorpion from scorpionem. Un million is derived from mille, with augmentative suffix: un billion in form = bis and million. Le lampion is lampe with suffix -on. So le croupion. Le bastion, le gabion, le galion, are from Italian bastione, gabione, galeone. Le brimborion, bauble, is apparently a corruption of breviarium (= prières). "Marchandise de messes et de brimborions." (CALVIN, 16th cent.) Un scion,+ le talion. Le pion is a doublet of piéton * Other words in -son, -çon, have either a different origin, le son (sonus), or have followed the general French rule: un frisson (frictionem); du poison (potionem). Many of these have corresponding learned doublets of the same gender: la rançon and la rédemption; la façon, and la faction, etc. Sometimes the doublets have different genders: le poison, la potion, le frisson, la friction. † It is doubtless to the concrete meaning given to scion that we owe its change of gender. In Latin sectionem is abstract, and equals a cutting off. Will this account for the change of gender of talion from feminine to masculine? § 247. Feminine Nouns ending in -r. i. Abstract Nouns in -eur. (a) Most abstract nouns in -eur were derived from Latin masculines in -or, -orem. Couleur (colorem), fureur (furorem), rigueur (rigorem). They all changed their gender from masculine to feminine. (b) Honneur, déshonneur, and labeur, are the only three which have had the Latin gender definitely restored to them. In Old French they were feminine :— Quant de si haute honor (je) sui cheue dans la boue. (Berte, 13th cent.) C'est tres gracieuse labeurs. (J. DE CONDET, 14th cent.) In the 15th and 16th centuries we find both genders employed: * Nous sera l'honneur cent fois plus grande. (FROISSART, 15th cent.) Gerard sachant tous honneurs mondains. (GERARD DE NEVERS, 15th cent.) (c) Many abstract nouns in -eur have been made after the same model from French adjectives, etc. They are all feminine: aigreur (aigre); longueur (long); pesanteur (pesant), etc. (d) But le bonheur et le malheur have a different origin. They are compounds from heur (augurium). Augure, the "learned word, also from augurium, is similarly masculine. Heur is now almost obsolete. It is common as late as Corneille, Molière, etc.† Je vous épouse Agnès, et cent fois la journée, Vous devez bénir l'heur de votre destinée. (MOLIÈRE: Ecole des Femmes.) ii. Concrete Nouns in -eur. (a) La vapeur from Latin masculine vaporem La liqueur Les mœurs liquorem florem, seem to have followed the example of the abstract nouns in -eur. (b) All other concrete nouns are masculine, whatever may be their origin le cœur ; l'équateur. : A very large number are designations of men: auteur, empereur, inspecteur, and have for the most part corresponding feminine forms (see § 229, b). iii. La chair is from Latin feminine, caro, carnem. La cour is Latin feminine cohortem. La cuiller is also spelt cuillère, whence gender. La mer is from Latin neuter, mare, plural maria. The plural was taken for a singular feminine (compare § 234). *Compare amour from amorem (§ 145), which still preserves two genders. + Heureux remains. § 248. Feminine Nouns ending in -s. (1) Une fois is from Latin plural feminine, vices. Une oasis is employed in the masculine by Châteaubriand: Smyrna c'est une espèce d'oasis civilisé. It is now definitely feminine according to etymology. It is from Greek feminine ἴασις. 3. Une vis is from Latin feminine, vitis, a vine. The secondary meanings are obtained from the comparison between the winding of vine-tendrils, spiral staircases, and screws. In Italian vite = vine and screw. § 249. Feminine Nouns ending in -t. (a) La part, la plupart, are both from Latin feminine, partem. La mort is from Latin feminine mortem. C'est une raillerie que de vouloir me constituer son dot de toutes les dépenses qu'elle ne fera point. La forêt is from Low Latin, foresta. (b) La dent, dentem, is masculine in Latin. It is so found till the 14th century.+ (L'Arare.) Le nez moult tres bien fait, les dantz menus et blanz. (Sax., 12th cent) tribus. glus, glutem. All the above are feminine in Latin. § 251. Feminine Nouns ending in -x. la paix is from Latin feminine pax, pacem.‡ *This dot Littré derives from Low-Latin dotum. He adds: "Des éditions rajeunissant le texte ont mis sa dot. Vaugelas et Perrot d'Ablancourt le faisaient aussi masculin. C'est un archaïsme. Mais Ménage remarque que le feminin l'emportait." "Rire des gros dents, se dit en Lorraine."-LITTRE. Nouns which are masculine, although they end in e mute. § 252. Masculine Nouns ending in -be. Le cube, le tube, le globe, le rhombe, are derived from Latin cubus, tubus, globus, rhombus, respectively (p. 124, note). Un verbe, un adverbe, un proverbe, from verbum, adverbium, proverbium. a. -ice. § 253. Masculine Nouns ending in -ce. Most substantives in -ice have their origin in Itin forms in -tricem imperatricem, impératrice. They are designations of women. (See § 229.) The remaining words in -ice are mainly feminine from the Latin feminine -tia: la justice, justitia; la milice, militia, etc. A large number, however, are masculine, from Latin neuters in -tium, -cium. un auspice auspicium un préjudice artificium un précipice præjudicium præcipitium beneficium un service servitium supplicium exercitium le sacrifice sacrificium vitium indicium solstitium un interstice interstitium Un armistice is a modern word coined after same models, arma: arms: -stitium. B. Other masculines in -ce of the same origin are: le commerce commercium le sacerdoce sacerdotium le négoce le divorce negotium le silence silentium Silence is the only word in -ence which is masculine. Apparently it was always feminine till the 16th century, when either gender was employed. Marot and Rabelais have la silence, but Amyot le silence. The etymology has prevailed over the French ending. y. Le calice and le pouce are from masculine Latin calicem, pollicem. Compare la voix (vocem), la croix (crucem), la poix (picem), la noix (nucem), which are feminine both in Latin and French. 8. Le caprice is from Italian capriccio. e. Is irregular-Un appendice, appendicem (feminine). It is often feminine in older writers: "De petites appendices." (PARÉ, 16th cent.) § 254. Masculine Nouns ending in -de: 1. le coude is from Latin cubitus.* le grade le synode le monde Le suicide was made after these models in the 18th cent. 3. le prélude is from préluder. § 255. Masculine Nouns ending in -ée. a. The feminine words in ée (Lat., -ata) are very numerous.+ B. The masculine words are rare : 2. un hymenée from Latin masculine hymenaeus. cameo. § 256. Masculine Nouns ending in -fe, phe. Le golfe and le gouffre are doublets, both from Greek masculine, kóλπos. They are employed indifferently in Old French. Le paragraphe and le parafe are doublets. Greek feminine, παράγραφος· * They are from Le télégraphe, un hiéroglyphe, have been coined on the same model. a. -age. § 257. Masculine Nouns ending in -ge. 1. From late Latin adjectival forms in -aticus, -atica, -aticum, were formed in early French a large number of nouns in -age. Such words are all masculine. 2. This suffixe -age has, by analogy, been added to various French stems. Such words are also masculine, without exception. 3. The only nouns which seem to be exceptions, have a different origin. They are : (a) une page pagina (b) une image imaginem une plage plaga la rage rabiem la cage cavea (c) la nage nager (see 8 2, below) * See p. 124, note. † Most learned words from -ata end in -ade. They are all feminine. Have followed apparent Latin gender. |