Etymologically
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agir

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /a.ʒiʁ/[1]

Forms

agir[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin agō (“to drive; to do, act; to conduct (a case)”).[2][3][4][5][1] “Agō” was first a pastoral word, “to drive (cattle) before one”, and was used in law for conducting a case and in the theatre for playing a part; it belongs to an Indo-European root also seen in Ancient Greek ἄγω (ágō, “to lead”).[2][6] Littré noted that the ending “-ir” suggests an older word than the 16th-century texts show, since “agere” would then have given “ager”.[6] The impersonal il s'agit de“ is a calque of Latin ”agitur de.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found in the middle of the 15th century (1450–1459) as a legal term, Rey notes an early use in a Christian context, “to produce, make effective”.[3][2][4]

Semantic evolution

In the 16th century the verb had several senses that died out, including the transitive agir quelque chose and agir de “to speak of, treat of” (1503).[2][3] The modern intransitive “to act, do something” appears in Montaigne but became usual only in the 17th century, with “to behave” and “to have an effect on” (agir sur).[2][3] Il s'agit de “it is a question of” belongs to the same period.[3] agissement dates from 1845 and réagir from the 18th century (Voltaire).[3]

Timeline

  • 1459 – A legal term.[3]
  • 1503 – Agir de “to treat of”.[2]
  • Late 16th century – Intransitive “to act”, in Montaigne.[2]
  • 17th century – The modern senses become usual.[3][7]
  • 18th century – Réagir, in Voltaire.[3]
  • 1845 – Agissements.[3]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To act, do something: il est temps d'agir.[1][7]
  2. To behave: agir en ami, agir selon sa conscience.[1][7]
  3. To have an effect, work: le remède agit, agir sur: to act on.[1]
  4. (law) To take legal action: agir contre quelqu'un.[1][7]
  5. Il s'agit de: it is a matter of, it concerns.[1][3]

Word family

  • agissement
  • réagir
  • agissant

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  4. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  5. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 24, 257b
  6. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  7. ^ a b c d Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse