accoutumer

Forms

accoutumer^[1] Old French acostumer and acustumer, Middle French accoustumer.^[1][2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle French accoustumer, from Old French acostumer,^[1] formed from French a- + coutume, and the noun goes back to Latin cōnsuētūdō (“custom, habit”).^[4][3][5][6] Littré analyses it the same way.^[7]

Cognate with Occitan acostumar, Catalan acostumar, Spanish acostumbrar, Portuguese acostumar and Italian accostumare.^[7][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first recorded as acostumer about 1160, in the sense “to get used to something”; the transitive sense “to make someone used to something” follows about 1170.^[4][8] The Larousse dates the spelling acustumer to about 1190, in the Livre des Rois.^[2]

Semantic evolution

From the 13th century the word was common in legal and narrative prose: Beaumanoir writes of the lawyers who acoustument à pledier before the bailiff (“are used to pleading”), and Joinville has the king ask his sons to make it their habit to wash the feet of the poor.^[7] The construction avoir accoutumé de “to be in the habit of” is now archaic or literary.^[3][7]

The past participle accoutumé “usual” gave the phrase à l'accoutumée “as usual”.^[8] The verb formed a family early: accoutumance (about 1160), désaccoutumer (late 12th century), inaccoutumé (1380) and raccoutumer (1538).^[8][5] In modern French it is a more formal synonym of habituer, rare in speech.^[9]

English accustom (early 15th century) was borrowed from the Old French verb.^[10]

Timeline

• c. 1160 – Acostumer “to get used to something” is first recorded.^[4][8]
• c. 1160 – The derivative acostomance (modern accoutumance) appears.^[8]
• c. 1170 – The transitive sense “to accustom someone” is recorded.^[4][8]
• c. 1190 – The spelling acustumer is found in the Livre des Rois.^[2]
• Late 12th century – Désaccoutumer is formed.^[8][5]
• 1380 – Inaccoutumé is recorded.^[8]
• Early 15th century – English borrows the Old French verb as accustomen.^[10]
• 1538 – Raccoutumer is recorded.^[5]

Meanings

Verb

1. (transitive) To accustom someone or something to a thing, to make them used to it: accoutumer qqn à qqch., accoutumer un chiot à la laisse.^[3][9][1]
2. (passive) Être accoutumé à: to be used to something or to doing something.^[3][2]
3. (reflexive) S'accoutumer à: to get used to, grow familiar with.^[3][1]
4. (archaic, literary) Avoir accoutumé de faire qqch.: to be in the habit of doing something.^[3][7]

Word family

• accoutumance
• désaccoutumer
• inaccoutumé
• raccoutumer
• accoutumé

Related words

• coutume
• coutumier
• habituer
• Latin cōnsuētūdō
• English accustom

Usage notes

The phrase à l'accoutumée “as usual” keeps the past participle as a feminine noun.^[8][1]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d 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 Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c d Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ a b c d Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 2, 1091b
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 f g h i Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
9. ^ a b 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
10. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com