The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #400   Message #1650586
Posted By: Artful Codger
17-Jan-06 - 09:17 PM
Thread Name: Req/ADD: French folk songs
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: French folk songs
[Daring to stick foot in mouth, when there are so many native French speakers about...]

Regarding "atteur":
The usual French words for attire are vêtements and costume. I also found ramure, but this mainly refers to foliage or the antlers of a stag, and is singular ("votr' ramure"); possibly it was used in the plural at the time (or in the place) that La Fontaine's fable was reworked into a song? Ramure makes a suspiciously close pairing to ramage, and rhymes with your "allentour".

English "attire" derives from Old French "atirier", "to put in order, arrange", which in turn derives from Latin "ad + tire", "toward" + "order, row, dress". So it's quite possible the word you want is "attires".

There are also the verb "attifer", "to deck out" (usually pejorative), and the noun "attirail", "gear, tools; fishing tackle; paraphernalia", but that's casting a bit far afield.