"le shampooing"

[JessieMcJessie]

I was just thinking in the shower this morning how weird it is that the french use "shampooing" as the noun for shampoo. And also that the call a blowdry "un brushing". Though at least the latter is about an action.

Where does "shampoo" come from anyway? Sounds like it might have been french to begin with.

I believe it's Hindi in origin. 'Le shampooing' is about the whole process of having hair washed in French, not just shampoo.

How would shampooing be used as a verb in French?

Je shampes
Tu shampes
Il/Elle shampe
Nous shampons
... etc?

I've only seen shampooing used as a noun:
Rayon shampooing
Quel shampooing choisir?
Vous voulez un shampooing?
... etc.

I'm always fascinated by the use of 'shampooing' and 'brushing' in French, too. It took me a long time to pronounce 'brushing' in the French way so hairdressers could understand me

It is a noun but it's a noun about a process (Iwanted to call it a ritual just then!), just as le brushing is the noun that encompasses blow drying. It then migrated to refer to shampoo as a product in both languages. The original origin, not just the borrowing of shampoo/shampooing is something to do with massage IIRC which then became a posh hair wash in I think Georgian times. The verb has been kept in English but not French.

Shampoo is both a verb and a noun, so maybe the french are not so silly.

You can shampoo someone's hair, you can also have a shampoo. So " a shampoo" and "to shampoo" are both correct.
Similarly I can have a manicure ( noun) or I can manicure (verb) my nails.

I do agree though, verbing weirds English.

Shampooing is obviously a verb in English but it's not a verb in French.

Similarly - Any thoughts on 'Sporting'?

I'm puzzled by the use of this word for places that have nothing to do with any sport.

We have a building where there is a cinema and a few shops. It's called "Sporting d'Hiver".

Then there is another building where there is a concert hall and an open-air club and that one is called "Sporting d'Eté".

Why?

NomdeClavier "it then migrated to mean the product in both languages".

But it didn't- in English it is "shampoo" and in French it is "le shampooing" i.e. that is what it says on the bottle, not just on the hairdresser's price list.

Cotedazur I think you get exactly what I mean and "le sporting" is a brilliant example. I recall my boss when I was an au pair say "on va faire un camping" when talking about setting up camp beds for a sleepover. I'd distinguish that from "on va faire DU camping".

There's also "footing", of course.

Comment réussir son footing?
Etirement avant le footing

... etc.

I still don't get why "Sporting" is a name given to places where no sports take place

I meant the original word from Hindi first appeared as 'a shampoo' or 'a shampooing' meaning hair washing and then became a product. It was a process to start with so it sort of makes sense.

'Sporting' for places that have nothing to do with sport doesn't seem to have any logic, I agree.

Do you have to smoke to wear "un smoking"?

Cote footing isn't that complicated - after all, you just have 4 possibilities - toe or heel and right or left.

I've only come across the verb in use for noting the correct foot positions for playing the pedal part of organ music.

...not forgetting "le parking" = car park, god only knows why!