[Lexicog] origin of the word "gullible"

[Fritz Goerling]

David,

Yes "Ferme la ..." or "ferme la gueule" is a rude or vulgar French form of
saying "shut up."
But "gueule" is not always vulgar . A good-looking man is called "belle
gueule". There
i s also a beer "Belle Gueule."

Fritz


  Doesn't French gueule mean 'snout'? That is, isn't it the mouth of an
animal, and isn't it insulting to use that word to refer to a person's
mouth? That was my understanding when we were working on the etymologies for
our St. Lucian (French) Creole dictionary. In St. Lucian Creole, there is a
word djòl or djèl that means 'snout' (as of a pig or donkey), but if you
tell someone in Creole "shut your snout" using this word, it is an insult.
The "djòl" of a hole is the mouth or opening of the hole, such as a crab
hole.

  -- David Frank


  ----- Original Message -----
  From: "MARC FRYD" <marc.fryd at univ-poitiers.fr>
  To: <lexicographylist at yahoogroups.com>
  Sent: Friday, June 17, 2005 3:45 AM
  Subject: Re: [Lexicog] origin of the word "gullible"


  Allan,
  The word "gueule" in French means face ( 'sale gueule' ) or mouth
('(ferme) ta gueule!). Neutral when used for animals, it takes on argotic
connotations when used for humans.
  This strikes me as a plausible origin of your 'gullible'.
  Regards,
  Marc

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