“
Catafalque
.
This word comes from the Italian
catafalco
, which properly means a scaffold ", Furetière advances in his
Universal Dictionary
published in 1690. How did we go from the catafalque attached to the
" death penalty "
, without remission for the condemned, to the
" death penalty ”
, that of a loved one, honored by a catafalque from the 18th century?
To discover
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What is the origin of the word catafalque?
It should first of all be remembered that the
catafalque
derives from the popular Latin word
catafalicum
resulting from the crossing of the classical Latin
fala
(wooden defense tower) and the Greek
cata
, on the model of
catasta
(platform where the slaves for sale).
In fact, this catafalque offers a double point of view: it allows to observe and to be observed in return.
Read also: If you know these rare words, your vocabulary is impeccable
It is, however, necessary to delve into the history of the scaffold to better understand that of the
catafalque
.
Between the 12th and 13th centuries, the scaffold first referred to a scaffolding, a high floor where construction workers worked.
Then it becomes
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