arrêter

Pronunciation

• IPA (Europe): /a.ʁɛ.te/^[1]
• IPA (Europe): /a.ʁe.te/^[1]
• IPA (Quebec): /a.ʁɛː.te/^[1]
• IPA (Louisiana): [a.re.te]^[1]

Forms

arrêter^[1] Old French arester, Middle French arrester.^[1][2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French arester, inherited from Vulgar Latin *arrestō (“to stop”), formed with ad- from restō (“to stay, stand still”) (see rester), itself from stō (“to stand”).^[3][4][1][5] Littré rejects a derivation from German “Rest” or “Rast” “rest”, and notes that Old French sometimes conjugated the verb irregularly (“arresteü”, “arestut”), as the Latin “stāre” was conjugated.^[6]

Cognate with Italian arrestare, Old Occitan arestar and Spanish arrestar; compare English arrest.^[4][6][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found at the end of the 11th century, intransitively, in the sense “to stop moving”.^[3][7]

Semantic evolution

From the 11th and 12th centuries the verb was both transitive and intransitive; until the 17th century it was often intransitive.^[3][4] Intransitive arrêter meant “to stop”, then “to stay” and “to come to an end” (12th century).^[3] As a transitive verb it meant “to stop (someone, a vehicle, an animal)” (12th century) and, also in the 12th century, “to seize, capture”, the sense behind arrestation (1370, remade from Old French arestaison).^[3][4]

“To suspend (an activity)” dates from about 1500 and arrêter les frais from 1867.^[3] In abstract use it meant “to fix (one's mind, one's choice)” and “to decide” (late 14th century), as in arrêter une date, which is behind arrêté (1414).^[3][4] S'arrêter à “to dwell on” is recorded in 1370 and s'arrêter de with an infinitive in 1575; intransitive arrêter de has been revived in the same sense.^[3]

Timeline

• 1080 – Intransitive arester “to stop”.^[3]
• 12th century – Transitive “to stop”, and “to seize, arrest”.^[3]
• 12th century – The noun arrêt.^[4]
• 1370 – Arrestation and s'arrêter à.^[4][3]
• Late 14th century – “To decide, settle”.^[3]
• 1414 – Arrêté.^[4]
• 1575 – S'arrêter de + infinitive.^[3]
• 1690 – Arrêter un point in sewing.^[3]

Meanings

Verb

1. To stop someone or something moving: arrêter un passant, arrêter sa voiture.^[7][8]
2. To stop, switch off (a machine): Arrête la radio.^[7][8]
3. To put an end to, halt: arrêter une hémorragie.^[7][8]
4. Intransitive: to stop, arrêter de + infinitive, to stop doing: Il n'arrête pas de parler.^[1][3]
5. To arrest: La police a arrêté le voleur.^[1][3]
6. To fix, settle, decide: arrêter une date.^[3][1]
7. S'arrêter: to stop, halt, s'arrêter à, to dwell on.^[1][3]
8. (needlework) To fasten off (a stitch).^[3]
9. (Louisiana) To wait.^[1]

Word family

• arrestation
• arrêt
• arrêté
• arrête-bœuf

Related words

• arrêtable
• rester

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c d e f g h Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
5. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 25, 304b
6. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
7. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
8. ^ a b c Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse