épandre

Forms

épandre^[1] Old French espandre; the spelling épandre dates from the 17th century.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle French espandre, inherited from Old French espandre, borrowed from Latin expandō (“to spread out, unfold”).^[4][3][1][5] The Latin verb is formed from ex- and pandō (“to spread, open out”).^[6][2][7] The TLFi and Rey treat it as an early, gallicized borrowing.^[4][3] Bloch and Wartburg simply give it as Latin, noting that the compound had driven out the simple verb in Latin and that traces of it remain in the dialects.^[8]

Cognate with Occitan espandre, Italian spandere and Spanish espandir.^[7][8]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Chanson de Roland (about 1100) a blow is struck por la cervele espandre, to spill out the brains, and the poem also has en espant le cler sanc, of shedding bright blood.^[4][7]

Semantic evolution

In Old French the verb meant to spread or scatter, in particular to pour out a liquid, and figuratively to bestow in abundance;^[3][4] the pronominal s'espandre “to spread, extend” is found about 1165 in Benoît de Sainte-Maure.^[4][3] Chrétien de Troyes uses it for scattering seed on the ground (1174–80).^[4] That sense alone survived and is usual in farming: épandre du fumier.^[3][9]

The verb was already archaic in the second half of the 17th century: Corneille used it, Racine never did, and since then it has been replaced by répandre; the Symbolists tried to revive it, and it remains a literary word.^[3]

Timeline

• c. 1100 – The Chanson de Roland has espandre “to spill”.^[4][7]
• c. 1165 – Benoît de Sainte-Maure uses the pronominal s'espandre.^[4]
• 1174–80 – Chrétien de Troyes uses it for scattering seed.^[4]
• 12th century – The prefixed respandre is recorded.^[3][8]
• 1765 – The derivative épandage appears.^[8]
• 17th century – Répandre supplants épandre.^[8][3]

Meanings

Verb

1. (dated or literary) To pour out or spread a liquid over a surface, also figuratively to bestow in abundance.^[4][9][2]
2. (technical) To spread on the ground, scattering it: épandre du fumier, épandre des engrais.^[9][3]
3. (pronominal) s'épandre: to spread out, flow over.^[4][9][7]

Word family

• épandage
• répandre

Related words

• expansion
• Latin expandō

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
5. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 3, 302a
6. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
7. ^ a b c d e Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
8. ^ a b c d e Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
9. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert