Euvre (opera). Euvre, from opera, plural of opus. Euvre = work, is now usually feminine.* Till lately it was common in the masculine : Sans cela toute fable est un oeuvre imparfait. (LA FONTAINE.) This masculine remains in a few exceptional cases: (1) As a term of architecture: Gros œuvre plus grosses. les murailles les (2) As a law term: Dénonciation de nouvel œuvre. (3) In speaking collectively of the work of an artist or musician Avoir tout l'œuvre de Callot. (4) In speaking of the philosopher's stone: Le grand œuvre.† Greffe (graphium). record office. Une greffe Both were masculine in Old French. Un greffe = Office (officium). = a graft. Un office duty, church-time, etc. Une office = pantry. Both genders are found in Old French in all senses. Un voile = veil. Voile (velum). Une voile sail. Corneille employs voile (sail) in masculine. Exemple (exemplum). "Exemple a été fait plus d'une fois féminin: Dire que cette exemple est fort mal assortie." (REGNIER). "Aujourd'hui il est constamment masculin; cependant le féminin s'est conservé longtemps dans le sens d'exemple d'écriture; et l'Académie dit encore aujourd'hui, que plusieurs personnes font en ce sens exemple du feminin, mais il n'y a aucune raison pour conserver cette anomalie." (LITTRÉ.) Orge (hordeum). (1) In Old French orge was more often masculine, according to etymology: Tout fromant, tout ble, tout orge. (Livres des Métiers, 13th cent.) So Bossuet, in 17th cent.: La meule d'un moulin ne moudra que ce qu'on met dessous, si c'est de l'orge on aura de l'orge moulu. (Elév. sur Mystères.) But it was also found in feminine, according to ending: En une orge. (Renart, 13th cent.) (2) The ending eventually fixed the gender, except in the phrases, orge mondé, orge perlé, orge carré. But even these are now sometimes found in feminine, and justly. Manche. Un manche, a handle. Une manche, a sleeve, channel, etc. Littré derives un manche from a low Latin word, manicum; une manche is regularly derived from Latin manica. * According to ending. enced the feminine gender. + Is this "masculine," the Doubtless the Latin opera, operae, has influPerhaps the word has a double derivation. same as grand' faim, grand merci ? (§ 207.) § 235. Difference of gender from a difference of origin. un délice nouveau; des délices nouvelles. This word follows the Latin. The neuter delicium has given regularly the masculine délice. The feminine delicia has given the feminine délices. Foudre. le foudre tun (German, das Fuder). la foudre thunder (Lat., fulgur, neuter). In the latter sense foudre is often masculine according to etymology. (See also § 230. y.) un livre une livre Livre. a book (Lat., librum). Ombre. un ombre hombre, at cards, from Spanish hombre = homme. une ombre shade (Lat., umbra). le poêle la poêle le somme la somme un tour une tour sleep (Lat., somnus). load (Low Lat., salma). Sum (Lat. summa). Tour. turn, trick (Lat., tornus, lathe). tower (Lat., turris). § 236. Gender influenced by word understood. Interligne (Lat. inter-linea). un interligne, space between two lines. (Compare § 234, espace). une interligne, printer's lead. le triomphe Pendule. pendulum (Lat. pendulus). Prétexte. pretext (Lat. praetextus). = toga praetexta. Triomphe. triumph (Lat. triumphus). la triomphe (old) = carte qui triomphe. (English trump.) § 237. Latin ending versus French ending. Automne (Lat. auctumnus). Automne is now generally masculine according to etymology. In the older writers it constantly occurs in the feminine according to French ending. Cette automne délicieuse (Sévigné). L'automne dernière (Fénelon). Crêpe (Lat. crispus). le crêpe (crape) follows Latin ending. la crêpe (pancake) follows French ending. Hymne (Lat. hymnus). une hymne hymn (church). Such is the distinction made by the Academy, but treated with poor respect by authors, who employ the word, in any sense, in the masculine or feminine as they see fit. un moule une moule le mode Moule. mould (Lat. modulus), follows etymology. mussel (Lat. musculus), follows French ending. Mode (Lat. modus). mood, mode, method. Till the sixteenth century, is feminine, according to ending. "Les modes sont de cing sortes, la première s'appelle indicative."-ESTIENNE. le solde la solde fashion, way, manner, follows French ending. Parallèle (Gk. παράλληλος). comparison, follows etymology. parallel (lines), follows French ending. Période (Lat. periodus). highest point, follows apparent Latin gender. period, follows French ending. Solde (Lat. solidus). balance of account, follows etymology. § 238. Masc. Noun = Adj. used substantively;* Fem. Noun follows etymology or French ending. Faux. le faux, forgery. faux, false, employed substantively. Fin. le fin, gist, main-point, etc. fin employed substantively. la fin, end (Lat. finem.) * § 158. 1. Gueule. le gueule, gules (red' in heraldry.) Probably masculine Pourpre. le pourpre, purple, adjective taken substantively. Les joues animées de la plus belle pourpre.-VOLTAIRE. Vague. le vague, vagueness (Lat. vacuus *). Adj. taken substantively. la vague, wave (O.H.G. vag.); follows French ending. § 239. Reasons various. Amour (Lat., amorem). un amour maternel un fol amour, une folle amour, de folles amours Latin words in -orem are masculine (§ 247). The French derivatives in Old French became feminine. In the sixteenth century an attempt was made to restore the Latin gender. Honneur, déshonneur, and labeur were the only three words which finally yielded to the pressure, and are now masculine as in Latin. Amour, from amorem, has retained both genders. During the last two centuries it was employed indifferently in the masculine or feminine, with apparently a preference for the feminine. The following rules are given by Littré for the modern use of amour : "Aujourd'hui il n'est susceptible de recevoir les deux genres que quand il signifie la passion d'un sexe pour l'autre, ailleurs il est masculin. Amour au singulier n'est féminin qu'en poésie. Au pluriel il est féminin non-seulement en poésie, mais dans le parler ordinaire.” Merci. Merci, from Latin mercedem, is regularly feminine. It has for a long time been masculine in the phrase, un grand merci, grand merci.+ The absence of 'e' in grand was misunderstood, and grand was taken for a masculine. (Compare grand' mère, etc., § 207.) Hence we may say that merci, in the sense of remerciement, is masculine. In other senses it is feminine. un pique = Pique. spade (at cards). Influence probably of le carreau, diamond; le tréfle, club; le cœur, heart. une pique = pike, according to ending. Same root as masculine, un pic, pick-axe. Adj. wandering from vagus. Compare English vagrant. * † Whence English gramercy. L Poste. le poste = post (= situation). la poste = post ( mail). La poste, from Low Latin posta, is the older word. seems to have been introduced in the sixteenth century, from Italian posto. The Latin in both is positus, from pono. The four following nouns have strong points of resemblance. Couple (Lat. copula). une couple means simply two. It follows both Latin and French endings: une couple d'oeufs. un couple means a male and a female:* un couple de pigeons. Gens (Lat., gentem). Gent means nation, race; it is always feminine, according tc etymology: La gent assassine.-(MOLIÈRE.) La gent hypocrite. -(BÉRANGER.) But in its plural form of gens, with the meaning of men and women, people, it has a strongly marked masculine force. A strange compromise has been made to satisfy both interests: (1) The epithets which immediately precede 'gens' must be feminine-De vieilles gens. Quelles vieilles gens. (2) The epithets which do not immediately precede must be masculine-Instruits par l'expérience les gens, etc. (3) The epithets which follow must be masculii - Des gens résolus. (4) With tout the rule is still more complicated. (a) When an adjective of a distinctly feminine form precedes gens--and then only-tout is attracted into the feminine: Toutes les vieilles jens. Tous les gens. Tous les honnêtes gens. (5) In gens de leres, gens de robe, gens de guerre, etc., the sex has definitely fixed the gender, viz., masculine: Il n'y a que les vrais gens de lettres qui n'aient point d'intrigues.-(VOLTAIRE.) Personne Personne, person (Lat., persona), is etymologically feminine. When it means 'nobody,' it is usually masculine (i.e., practically neuter) Personne n'est parfait.+ Chose. Chose, a thing (Lat., causa), is etymologically feminine. With autre or quelque added, the indefiniteness of the idea makes the compound word masculine (i.e., practically neuter): Il y a en vous quelque chose de surnaturel. (VOLTAIRE.) Autre chose and quelque chose were formerly feminine : Je ne fais point difficulté de parler quand j'ai dans la bouche quelque chose meilleure que le silence. (BALZAC, 17th cent.) *Compare le mari et la femme sont bons. Jullien thinks that when personne distinctly refers to a woman, it may be feminine. Littré approves of the example given by Jullien-"Personne n'était plus belle que Cléopatre." |