The Fascinating Etymology of 'Strike'

In the midst of significant public sector walkouts, it’s an opportune moment to delve into the history of a word that has always held a certain fascination: 'strike'. How has a word, whose etymological roots trace back to a gravelly riverbank, come to signify a cessation or refusal to work? The Dictionnaire historique de la langue française (Éditions Le Robert) suggests this is a purely Parisian metaphor, dating back seven to eight centuries, which evolved its current meaning through a series of semantic shifts. The story is somewhat circuitous, but it offers profound insights into societal evolution.

From Parisian Quay to Public Square

Initially, the expression was linked to the former name of the square in front of Paris's Hôtel-de-Ville, which was once known as the Place de Grève. In those times, Paris was a burgeoning market town that accommodated a significant amount of river traffic. The Place de Grève (a toponym attested as early as 1260) was, in its literal sense, a 'grève' – a gravelly bank. Over time, this right-bank 'grève' transformed into a port and subsequently a paved public square.

It was on this Place de Grève that those seeking employment naturally congregated. Initially, it was the boatmen, but soon, all trades and professions were represented. To 'faire grève' (to go to the grève) meant to look for work. Conversely, placing someone 'en grève' meant dismissing them. According to the renowned linguistic historian Alain Rey (who passed away in 2020), expressions like 'battre le pavé' (to pound the pavement) or 'être sur le sable' (to be on the sand) were metaphors associated with this same 'grève' in the sense of being unemployed. In linguistic jargon, the process by which a proper noun becomes a common noun is known as antonomasia.

The Metonymic Shift: Grève as a Meeting Place

However, the transition of the Place de Grève to the meaning of 'to strike' in the modern sense occurred through another linguistic device called metonymy. This is a shift where one term comes to signify another related meaning, much like in the phrase 'boire un verre' (to drink a glass), where the container represents the content. This phenomenon is eloquently illustrated in a compelling article by Maurice Tournier on the social etymology of the word 'grève'. Tournier identifies six distinct meanings:

Over the centuries, the word 'grève' thus acquired all these meanings. Maurice Tournier notes a proposal in the first half of the 19th century to regulate all these 'grèves' to create a 'Grève Générale' – essentially a large-scale employment exchange. This proliferation of figurative language underscores, among other things, society's evolution towards increasingly organised wage labour.

The Emergence of 'Strike' as Labour Action

Between 1800 and 1850, a new meaning for 'grève' began to emerge sporadically: 'to leave work to demand an increase in pay'. This specific meaning rapidly overshadowed all others during the socially turbulent period of 1845-1848. While the historical record doesn't detail whether Canadian usage mirrored these nuances from the early colonial period, the Parisian developments undoubtedly had a pervasive influence.

During this era, work began to become more organised within companies and society at large. Workers and employees started to recognise their shared interests and began to band together. Some of these organisations decided to effectively put the 'employer on strike' – a clever inversion. It was at this point that the word 'grève' transitioned from the meaning of 'absence from work' to 'refusal to work' as a tactic to influence negotiations and establish leverage.

Two generations later, by 1906, the word acquired another meaning: 'cessation of an activity', as in 'a hunger strike, a strike of zeal, a student strike'. The word 'grève' is therefore a relatively recent label applied to a concept that has always existed: worker revolt. The earliest attestations, found in Egyptian hieroglyphs, describe events in Thebes and Khufu dating back 5,000 years. However, the notion of an organised strike as we understand it today coalesced during a period when wage labour was undergoing a profound structural transformation.

From Cessation to Syndicates

In the Middle Ages, the term used was more commonly 'cessatio' (without the 'n', meaning cessation). These 'cessatio', often brutally suppressed, involved specific craft groups organised into guilds or corporations (such as clothiers, printers, painters, carpenters, masons). These were not the proletariat of the era but rather the closest equivalent to a burgeoning middle class.

Ironically, the French Revolution of 1789 acted as a brake on the development of organised labour by abolishing the old medieval corporate structures (trades, guilds, journeymen associations, etc.). Any form of coalition was then considered a criminal offence. It wasn't until around 1850, amidst the throes of the Industrial Revolution, that labour began to reorganise, and the right to strike gradually took root.

The Role of 'Syndicat'

The term 'syndicat' (union) does not boast as colourful a history as 'grève'. It originates from 'syndic', which appeared in the 14th century to denote a person responsible for defending common interests. 'Syndicat' initially referred to the function of a syndic. 'Faire syndicat' meant to associate for the pursuit of common interests. The various sources consulted agree that around 1839, the word 'syndicat' began to be specifically associated with an organisation dedicated to defending the interests of workers – a meaning that rapidly became generalised. While the exact origin of this specific application is unrecorded, the term 'syndicat' quickly became commonplace in its current sense.

While 'grève' has yielded few derivatives apart from 'gréviste' (striker), the term 'syndicat' has been far more prolific, spawning terms like 'syndicaliste' (1875), 'syndiqué' (adjective and noun, 1894), 'syndicalisme' (1894), 'intersyndical' (1931), 'syndicaliser' (1960), 'syndicalisation' (1963), and 'syndicalisable' (1964). (The verb 'syndiquer' itself existed from the 16th century, meaning 'to group together in a union'.)

The newer meaning became the primary one, but older usages haven't entirely disappeared. In France, for instance, 'syndicats d’initiative' (tourist boards), 'syndicats de propriétaires' (owners' associations), 'financiers' (financial associations), 'intercommunaux' (inter-municipal associations), and even 'syndicats patronaux' (employers' associations) are frequently encountered. In Quebec, the term 'syndicat' was long almost exclusively reserved for worker representation bodies. However, some French usages, such as 'syndicats de copropriétaires' (condominium associations), are gradually reappearing, now mandated by law.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the literal meaning of 'grève'?

The literal, etymological meaning of 'grève' is a gravelly riverbank or shore.

How did 'grève' come to mean 'strike'?

It evolved through metonymy and antonomasia. The Place de Grève in Paris was a public square where the unemployed gathered to seek work. This association led to 'faire grève' meaning to look for work. Later, it shifted to signify the act of refusing work as a form of protest, particularly in the context of labour disputes.

When did the meaning of 'strike' for labour action become common?

The meaning of 'leaving work to demand an increase' became prominent during the socially active period of 1845-1848 and solidified thereafter.

What were the precursors to modern strikes?

In the Middle Ages, organised groups of artisans would engage in 'cessatio', a cessation of work, often to negotiate with authorities or guilds. These were precursors to modern labour actions.

What is the origin of the word 'syndicat'?

'Syndicat' comes from 'syndic', a term from the 14th century referring to someone who defended common interests. It evolved to specifically mean an association for defending workers' rights around 1839.