accuser

Pronunciation

• IPA: /a.ky.ze/^[1]

Forms

accuser^[1] Old French acuser.^[2][1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin accūsō (“to call to account, accuse”), from ad- and causa (“cause, lawsuit”) (see cause), a legal word tied to the idea of a trial.^[2][3][4][5] Bloch and Wartburg note that the French verb was always influenced by the Latin one.^[6] Littré reports Priscian's derivation of the stem from a frequentative of cūdō (“to forge”) but prefers the derivation from the noun for “cause”.^[7]

Cognate with Italian accusare, Spanish acusar, Portuguese acusar and Occitan acusar.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Clermont Passion (about 980) has acuser in the sense “to charge, put on trial”;^[2][8] accuser quelqu'un de quelque chose is found from 1155.^[2][8]

Semantic evolution

As in Latin, one could accuse actions as well as people (about 1152), and, from this came the senses “to point out with hostility” (1205) and, with a thing as subject, “to reveal, show” (1190); the Roman de la Rose says crystals accusent the whole garden to those who look into the water.^[2][7] Accuser la réception of a letter is recorded in 1627 and accuser réception in 1835;^[2][6] accuser le coup (1927), first in sport, is to show that one has been hit.^[2][6]

In art accuser les muscles “to bring out the muscles” is from 1762, and “to emphasize, make stand out” in general from about 1870; reflexive s'accuser “to become more marked” is in Murger (1851).^[2][9] The past participle accusé, as a noun, is the accused in criminal law, and accusé de réception is from 1832.^[2]

Timeline

• c. 980 – Acuser in the Clermont Passion.^[2][8]
• 1155 – Accuser quelqu'un de quelque chose.^[2]
• 1190 – “To reveal”, with a thing as subject.^[2]
• 1627 – Accuser la réception.^[6][2]
• 1762 – In art, “to bring out”.^[2]
• 1832 – Accusé de réception.^[2]
• 1927 – Accuser le coup.^[2]

Meanings

Verb

1. To accuse, to present (someone) as guilty: accuser quelqu'un de plagiat.^[4][10]
2. (law) To charge (someone) before a criminal court.^[4][11]
3. To blame (something): accuser le sort.^[4][8]
4. To show, reveal; to bring out, emphasize (a feature).^[8][2]
5. Accuser réception de: to acknowledge receipt of, accuser le coup, to show that one has been hurt.^[1][2]
6. S'accuser: to admit one's guilt: qui s'excuse s'accuse; to become more marked.^[4][9]

Word family

• accusé
• accusable
• coaccusé

Related words

• accusateur
• accusatif
• accusation
• excuser
• récuser
• cause
• Latin accūsō

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c d e f Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 24, 93a
6. ^ a b c d Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
7. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
8. ^ a b c d e Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
9. ^ a b Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF
10. ^ Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)
11. ^ Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)