goupil

== French == === Etymology === Inherited from Middle French goupil, from Old French gupil, golpil, gulpil, vorpil, volpil, from Vulgar Latin *vulpīculus, alteration of Latin vulpēcula (“fox kit”), diminutive of vulpēs. Compare goupille. See also Old Italian volpiglio, Occitan volpìlh, Catalan volpell, Portuguese golpelha, Spanish vulpeja. The initial g- suggests influence from a Germanic word in w-, most likely Frankish *wulf (“wolf”). Compare gui and gaine with the same Frankish influence on a Latin-derived word. Replaced by renard, by euphemism. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ɡu.pil/, /ɡu.pi/ === Noun === goupil m (plural goupils) (archaic) fox Synonym: renard === Further reading === “goupil”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012