Eight neologisms of yesteryear to use to shine in society

As Jean-Loup Chiflet reports in his fascinating Dictionary in love with the French language , there existed in the 19th century a man who "probably because of his independence, his originality, his freedom, his refusal of any allegiance, was passionate about neologisms ” . It is Louis-Sébastien Mercier. This writer offers us a precious work: Neology, or Vocabulary of new words, to be renewed, or taken in new meanings (1801). Anthology.

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Foloyer

Imagine that we find this verb in the Dictionary of Middle French , written between 1330 and 1500. It exists in several forms: "folier", "foloier" or even, "foleier". It means first of all "to be mad, to splurge, to frolic, to be mistaken" , one can read. By extension, "frolicking" ended up meaning "behaving rashly, foolishly" . But also, "indulge in crazy loves, make your body mad".

Anguillomeux

“Mazarin had an anguillomous mind; La Fayette too: in everything they did, there was always some rock eel , ” writes Mercier. And specifies that an anguillous individual is a "man of a cunning, fine character" . As we read in Le Trésor de la langue française, "anguille" comes from the Latin anguilla , diminutive of anguis , "serpent".

Bélistre

Not to be confused with the "bellâtre", undeniably handsome but somewhat insipid individual. "Belister" is a much less flattering word. Indeed, he qualifies "a lazy man who begs or borrows, fleeing all kinds of work. These words are good to resurrect these days, ” jokes Mercier.

To take a break

This is a nice verb that we find in the Dictionary of Middle French in the form of "doulouser". Its meaning is quite transparent: "to grieve, to lament, to grieve" . Over time, the meaning has evolved. As Jean-Loup Chiflet points out, in the 19th century, this word is used more in the sense of "complaining without reason" , "complaining badly about".

Boufart

There is the gourmet, the gluttonous, the gourmet, the gourmet ... So many ways to qualify those who savor (or not) the most delicious dishes. There is also the most discreet "boufart". Namely the one "who eats a lot" without being the "greedy who eats without hunger" . Note also that in the twentieth century, a "bouffard" is a slang word for a "smoker".

Amourer

We can love a little, a lot, passionately, not at all. The affection which one feels towards the other is tinged with infinite nuances. "Cherishing" is not "falling in love"; "Appreciating" does not mean "having a crush"; "To admire" is not to "adore". Why should we not welcome the verb "to love" which means "to love without passion" ? As Mercier specifies, "those who devote themselves to study, to glory, to great objects, do not have time to love a woman, but they can love her".

Melliloque

There is the pretty verb "to mellify" which means "to make honey" but also, figuratively, "to make sweet, to soften" in the 19th century. Without forgetting the delicious adjective "mellific", borrowed from the Latin mellificus , "relating to the production of honey" , specifies Le Trésor de la langue française. So, why not go further and use the noun "melliloque"? Understand: "who speaks very gently".

Tournevirer

The Trésor de la langue française specifies that this rare verb can be understood "especially in the South of the Loire" . It means "to turn in all directions" . It is found as early as 1580, notably at Montaigne, in the figurative sense of "making go from here and there" . "Tournevirer" comes from the union of two verbs: "to turn" and "to turn". In the 19th century, it could therefore be used in the sense of "changing your mind".

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