éventer

Forms

éventer^[1] Old French esventer; the modern spelling éventer is recorded from the 15th century.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French esventer, inherited from Vulgar Latin *exventō, from Latin ventus (“wind”) with the intensive prefix ex-.^[4][5][3][1] The Latin verb is not recorded and is reconstructed from the Romance languages.^[4] The Grand Robert and the Petit Robert analyse it within French as é- + vent + verb ending.^[6][7]

Cognate with Old Occitan esventar, Catalan esventar, Italian sventare and Romanian zvânta.^[4][5][8]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record, in the Cambridge Psalter of the first half of the 12th century, is figurative: “to search out carefully, discover”, as if by winnowing, translating Latin eventilasti, investigasti.^[4] Rey dates it to about 1120 in the hunting sense “to track down (game)”, from vent “scent”.^[2][7]

Semantic evolution

From about 1165 the verb meant to expose something to the wind or air, such as bedding or hay; the TLFi's first record of this sense is in Gautier d'Arras (1178–1184).^[2][4] By the end of the 12th century it also meant to cool by stirring the air, in Raoul de Cambrai, and the pronominal s'éventer “to fan oneself” followed.^[4][2][3] Technical uses came later: of a sail set to catch the wind (1694) and of grain turned over to keep it from fermenting (1690).^[3]

Since vent could mean “a hint, a rumour”, éventer meant “to warn” (1382) and then “to make public” (1493); Coquillart has esventer “to spread abroad” (1478–1480), and Montaigne esventer un secret (1580).^[2][4] From this come éventer la mine (mid-16th century, Amyot), to defuse a mine by opening it to the air and, figuratively, to foil a plot, and éventer la mèche (1694).^[3]

Exposure to air also spoils: sentir l'éventé is said of a wine in the Ménagier de Paris (1393), and s'éventer “to go stale” is recorded in 1559.^[4][2]

Timeline

• c. 1120 – First record, figurative “to search out” in the Cambridge Psalter.^[4][2]
• 1178–1184 – Gautier d'Arras uses esventer for “to air”.^[4][6]
• Late 12th century – Raoul de Cambrai uses it for “to cool by moving the air”.^[4][3]
• 1393 – The Ménagier de Paris speaks of wine that sent l'esventé, spoiled by the air.^[4][8]
• 1493 – First record of the sense “to make public”.^[2]
• 1559 – S'éventer “to go stale” is recorded.^[2]
• 1580 – Montaigne writes esventer un secret.^[4]
• 1694 – Éventer la mèche and the nautical sense are recorded.^[3]

Meanings

Verb

1. To fan, cool by stirring the air;^[7][1][8] s'éventer: to fan oneself.^[7][1][8]
2. (dated) To expose to the air, air: éventer des couvertures.^[7][4][1]
3. Éventer le grain: to turn grain over so that it does not ferment.^[7][8]
4. (nautical) To set (a sail) so that it fills with wind.^[4][3][1]
5. S'éventer: (of wine, perfume, food) to go stale or flat through contact with the air.^[7][1]
6. (figurative) To expose, reveal (something hidden): éventer la mèche, to uncover a plot.^[7][3][1]

Word family

• évent
• éventail
• éventaire

Related words

• vent
• Latin ventus

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o 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. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
6. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
7. ^ a b c d e f g h Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
8. ^ a b c d e Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette