You have to remember that French borrowings have a special place in English. The timeline of Middle English is roughly defined by the Norman conquest at the st

You have to remember that French borrowings have a special place in English. The timeline of Middle English is roughly defined by the Norman conquest at the start, and the replacement of French as the literary standard at the end. So it's not uncommon for French words to be spelled and pronounced somewhat accurately. (Now their meaning being recognizable is obviously a completely different question...)