Etymologically
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adorer

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /a.dɔ.ʁe/[1]

Forms

adorer[1] The popular Old French form was aorer, aürer (1080), still found in le vendredi aoré “Good Friday” in the 16th and 17th centuries.[2][3]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin adōrō (“to address, entreat; to worship”), from ad- and ōrō (“to speak, pray”) (whence oraison).[2][3][4][5] The learned form replaced the inherited “aorer” under the influence of Church Latin.[2][3] Littré cites the view that “adōrāre” first meant to raise the hand to the mouth in homage, but prefers the simpler “to speak to, address, pray to”.[6]

Compare Spanish adorar and Italian adorare.[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Passion de Clermont (late 10th century) it means to worship God: si l'adorent com redemptor “they worship him as redeemer”; in the Chanson de Roland it is used of the pagans' idols.[7][2][6]

Semantic evolution

It was applied to the Cross (late 13th century) and to relics.[2] The extended sense “to honour to the utmost” appears in Old French for aorer (about 1165) and in Froissart for adorer.[2] In lyric poetry the Châtelain de Coucy already used aorer for loving passionately (late 12th century), a sense adorer took on in the 16th century (1576).[2][6] Since the 17th century it has also been used of abstractions and things, as a hyperbole for aimer (j'adore le chocolat); the advertising formula vous avez aimé… vous allez adorer is a calque of English.[2][8]

Timeline

  • Late 10th century – “To worship”, Passion de Clermont.[7]
  • c. 1100 – Of idols, Chanson de Roland.[2]
  • Late 12th century – Aorer “to love passionately”, the Châtelain de Coucy.[2]
  • c. 1420 – Adorateur.[3]
  • 1576 – Adorer “to love passionately”.[2]
  • 1611 – Adorable.[3]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To worship: adorer Dieu, adorer le veau d'or.[8][1]
  2. To adore, love passionately: il adore sa fille.[8][1]
  3. (familiar) To love, be very fond of: j'adore le chocolat, elle adore danser.[8][2]
  4. Brûler ce qu'on a adoré: to turn against what one used to admire.[8][9]

Word family

  • adorable
  • adorablement
  • adorateur
  • adoration
  • oraison
  • oral
  • Latin adōrō

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 Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  3. ^ a b c d e Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  4. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  5. ^ Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  6. ^ a b c d Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  7. ^ 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
  8. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  9. ^ Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)