quinteau
French edit
Etymology edit
Emigrants from Perche brought the term to New France, and hence into Canadian and Louisiana French. Its pronunciation was "normalized" (to drop the [i̯], to match the pronunciation of other words ending in -eau) either by the Perche speakers when they spoke to non-Perche speakers, or by those other speakers after they borrowed the term.[1]
Pronunciation edit
- IPA(key): /kɛ̃.to/
- (Louisiana, Quebec) IPA(key): [kɛ̃to][2][1]
- (Perche, modern) IPA(key): [kɛ̃ti̯o], (Perche, 17th century) [kɛ̃ti̯ɔ(u̯)]
Noun edit
quinteau m (plural quinteaux)
- (dated outside Perche, North America) a heap, pile, or stack, such as of sugar or hay
- 1904, Recueil de la Commission des arts et monuments historiques de la Charente-Inferieure, page 263:
- Somme de poisson froys, 2 deniers; — Balle de mercerie, 4 deniers; — Tonneau de ballenne, 2 deniers; — Quinteau d’alemandes, 5 deniers; — Quinteau de sucre, 6 deniers; — Quinteau de canelle, 6 deniers;
- (please add an English translation of this quotation)