English
fougère
Fougère comes from French fougère ‘fern’, from Vulgar Latin *filicāria ‘thicket of ferns’, and ultimately from Proto-Italic *feleks.
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*feleksreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfilix‘fern’
- Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*filicāria‘thicket of ferns’reconstructed
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400fulgiere
- Frenchc. 1600–presentfougère‘fern’literally ‘fern’
- Englishearliest quotation 2010same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*feleksreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfilix‘fern’
- Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*filicāria‘thicket of ferns’reconstructed
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400fulgiere
- Frenchc. 1600–presentfougère‘fern’literally ‘fern’
- Englishearliest quotation 2010same form
Earliest quotation: 2010, Luca Turin, Tania Sanchez: “Fougères are built on an accord between lavender and…”
The story
Borrowed from French fougère (literally “fern”), from the perfume Fougère Royale (‘Royal Fern’) launched in 1882 by Houbigant.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *bʰel- ‘henbane’
ball, bowl, bell, bull, bold, flame, bald, boil, blaze, bale, blush, blur, blizzard, bleach, bolster, budge, sabha, blemish, bola, phlegm, phallus, bolero, blithe, phlox, blain, bleat, 73 more
Today it means
noun One of the main olfactive families of perfumes, based on the compound coumarin; (countable) a perfume of that family.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Italic *feleks / fougère