alléger

Forms

alléger^[1] Old French alejer, alegier and aleger.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Late Latin alleviō (“to lighten (a ship), to relieve”), a word of Christian writers,^[4][5] formed from ad- and Latin levis (“light”).^[2][6][3] The Latin verb first meant to reduce the load of a ship and was used figuratively for "to relieve" in the Vulgate.^[4] Rey notes that, besides it, léger has a second, rarer verb, élégir, from leviō with é-, which lost the sense "to make lighter" to it.^[7][8]

Cognate with Italian alleviare, Spanish aliviar and Old Occitan aleujar.^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Its first record is in the Anglo-Norman law text of the Lois de Guillaume le Conquérant (first half of the 12th century), where alejer means figuratively to clear oneself of an accusation.^[4][3]

Semantic evolution

In the 12th century the reflexive verb meant to make oneself less heavy, to unburden oneself, as in Chrétien de Troyes (1165), and the verb was soon used figuratively for easing pain or relieving a person in distress (1177, 1190).^[4] The concrete nautical sense, to lighten a ship of part of its cargo, is recorded in the 13th century.^[4]

From the material sense the verb passed to taxes and financial charges, to work and effort, and to physical or moral suffering.^[9][6] In cooking it means to make a sauce less thick or rich,^[6] and in familiar French alléger quelqu'un de son portefeuille is a joking way of saying to rob him.^[6] The verb has given allègement and allégeance "relief" (both 12th century) and the technical noun allège.^[7][5]

Timeline

• 1100-1150 – Alejer “to clear of an accusation” appears in the Lois de Guillaume le Conquérant.^[4][2]
• 1165 – Chrétien de Troyes uses s'alegier “to unburden oneself”.^[4]
• 1177 – In Yvain Chrétien uses it for easing bodily pain.^[4]
• 1190 – Marie de France uses it for relieving people in torment.^[4][3]
• 13th century – Aleger la nave “to lighten the ship” is recorded.^[4]

Meanings

Verb

1. To make lighter by removing part of the weight or load: alléger une barque.^[6][10][4]
2. (cooking) To make a sauce or dish less thick or rich: alléger une crème.^[6]
3. (figurative) To reduce a financial burden; to make a task or effort less heavy: alléger les taxes, alléger le programme scolaire.^[9][6]
4. (figurative) To ease or relieve pain or sorrow.^[9][3]
5. (familiar) Alléger quelqu'un de son portefeuille: to rob someone.^[6]
6. (reflexive) S'alléger: to unburden oneself, to become lighter or less.^[3][4]

Word family

• allège
• allégeance
• allègement

Related words

• léger
• élégir
• Latin levis

Usage notes

In the 19th century the ⟨é⟩ was kept before a mute syllable (j'allége); Littré records this spelling.^[3]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ a b c d e f g Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l 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
5. ^ a b c Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
6. ^ a b c d e f g h Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
7. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
8. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 24, 331a
9. ^ a b c Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
10. ^ Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)