ajourner

Forms

ajourner^[1] Old French ajurner, ajorner;^[2][3][4] Anglo-Norman also adjourner.^[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is formed from French a- + jour, on the old form jorn of the noun.^[3][5][6] The noun continues Vulgar Latin diurnum (“day”), in Classical Latin an adjective, “of the day”.^[7][8] The legal sense, summoning for a set day, came through Medieval Latin adjornō (“to summon”).^[3]

Its use for postponing is a loan from the English word adjourn, first found in 1672, the English verb being itself taken from French.^[3][6][9] Cognate with Old Occitan ajornar and Italian aggiornare.^[10]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Chanson de Roland (about 1100) it is intransitive and means “to dawn”: Cum pesmes jurz nus est hoi ajurnez! (“What a grim day has dawned for us today!”).^[3][10]

Semantic evolution

The sense “to dawn” lasted until Cotgrave's dictionary of 1611.^[3] About 1250 the verb was used in law for summoning someone to appear before a judge on a set day, and in the 13th century for fixing a thing for a given day.^[3][6] In 1672 a French book on England used adjourner for the king suspending Parliament, after English adjourn; the reflexive s'ajourner of a house of Parliament followed in 1704.^[3] The verb was applied to French assemblies from 1775, and in 1794 Beaumarchais used it in the general sense “to put off”.^[3][6] It was later applied to candidates and conscripts sent back to a later session.^[2][11]

Timeline

• c. 1100 – Ajurner “to dawn” in the Chanson de Roland.^[3][10]
• c. 1250 – Used in law for summoning someone on a set day.^[3]
• 1611 – Cotgrave still records the sense “to dawn”.^[3]
• 1672 – Adjourner is used of the English Parliament.^[3][6]
• 1704 – The reflexive s'ajourner appears.^[3]
• 1775 – The Journal de Bruxelles uses it of a French assembly.^[3][2]
• 1794 – Beaumarchais uses it for “to put off”.^[3][6]
• 1798 – The Académie records ajourner une affaire.^[3]

Meanings

Verb

1. (formerly, law) To summon someone to appear in court on a set day.^[11][3]
2. To postpone, put off to another day or to an unspecified date: ajourner une réunion.^[11][2]
3. To send back a candidate or conscript to a later session, to fail him: être ajourné.^[11][2]
4. (reflexive) S'ajourner, said of an assembly: to adjourn, suspend its sittings.^[3]

Word family

• ajournement
• ajournable

Related words

• jour
• journée
• séjourner
• English adjourn

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f 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 h i j k l m n o p q r s t 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
4. ^ a b Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)
5. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ a b c d e f Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
7. ^ Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
8. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 3, 105b
9. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 18, 4b
10. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
11. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert