English
lorgnette
Lorgnette comes from French lorgner ‘to take a sidelong look at’, and goes back to Middle French lorgne ‘crosseyed’.
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600lorgne‘crosseyed’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentlorgner‘to take a sidelong look at’
- French, derivedc. 1600–presentlorgnette
- Englishearliest quotation 1869same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600lorgne‘crosseyed’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentlorgner‘to take a sidelong look at’
- French, derivedc. 1600–presentlorgnette
- Englishearliest quotation 1869same form
Earliest quotation: 1869, Mark Twain: “In the valley, near the Acropolis, […] Athens itself…”
Every English word from Middle French lorgne
Today it means
noun An opera glass with a handle.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Middle French lorgne / lorgnette