abandonner

Pronunciation

• IPA: /a.bɑ̃.dɔ.ne/^[1]

Forms

abandonner^[1]

Etymology

It comes from the Old French phrase “a bandon” “at the disposal (of)”, as in “laisser a bandon”, “mettre a bandon”.^{[2][3][4][5][6]} “Bandon” “power, authority” is derived from ban, from Frankish *bann.^[2][1] Bloch and Wartburg also give a different account under the verb: they derive it from a phrase “*a ban doner” “to give up freely, not hold back”, noting that “bandon” cannot come straight from “ban” because its /d/ would be unexplained, and that it is rather a noun taken from “abandonner”.^[2] Wiktionary takes “a ban doner” to mean “to give up to banishment”.^[1]

Compare Old Occitan abandonar, Spanish abandonar and Italian abbandonare.^[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Chanson de Roland (about 1100) it means to leave something at another's disposal, to give free rein: broche le bien, le frein li abandunet “he spurs his horse and gives it free rein”; the reflexive s'abandoner “to give oneself up” is in the same poem.^[7][3]

Semantic evolution

In the 12th century it meant to hand over, yield up (or vus abandoins jo mun regne, Thomas Becket's life), and in the 13th to give oneself over to vice or, of a woman, to give herself to a man.^[7] From the idea of leaving something to another came the senses “to give up, renounce” (property, a right, a project) and “to forsake” (a person, a place).^[3][5] In sport abandonner, used absolutely, is to withdraw from a race or match.^[3] The noun abandon is recorded in 1155 and abandonnement in the 13th century (Jean de Meun).^[2]

Timeline

• c. 1100 – Abandoner “to give free rein”, Chanson de Roland.^[7][2]
• 1155 – Abandon.^[2]
• 1270 – Abandonnement.^[2]

Meanings

Verb

1. To abandon, leave, desert: abandonner ses enfants, abandonner un navire.^[5][1]
2. To give up, renounce: abandonner ses études, abandonner le pouvoir.^[5][3]
3. (absolute) To give up, (sport) to withdraw, retire.^[3][1]
4. To leave, hand over (to someone's care or power): abandonner une ville au pillage.^[5][7]
5. S'abandonner à: to give way to, give oneself up to: s'abandonner au désespoir.^[1][7]

Word family

• abandon
• abandonnement
• abandonnique

Related words

• ban
• bannir

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
3. ^ a b c d e f Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
4. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 15/1, 48b
7. ^ a b c d e f Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette