Etymologically
Log in

assister

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 18 October 2026 at 14:14. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /a.sis.te/[1]

Forms

assister[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin assistō (“to stand by; to be present; to help”), a form of adsistō, from ad- and sistō (“to stand”), a reduplicated form of stō (“to stand”).[2][3][4][1][5] It was first used in the present participle (1372).[2][6] The Latin verb meant “to be beside” and “to be present”, then “to help”.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Jean Corbichon has it in 1372; in Middle French assister à quelqu'un meant both “to be present beside someone” and “to sit (in a council or assembly)” (1420).[4][2]

Semantic evolution

About 1500 the sense “to be present at (an event, a show)” took over: Montaigne has assister à un convoy, to attend a funeral procession.[2][7] The transitive use, which keeps the Latin sense of help rather than presence, is found in 1465 and 1501;[2][8] assister quelqu'un dans le besoin is in 1690.[2][8] Chastellain (15th century) uses it of a man comforted and attended by confessors; the GLLF still records its use for a priest attending the dying.[7][4]

The past participle assisté was applied to people receiving public relief (1866), and under English influence to power-assisted devices: direction assistée, conception assistée par ordinateur (about 1975).[2] In African French assister quelqu'un means to help someone materially or morally.[2]

Timeline

  • 1372 – Estre assistent, in Jean Corbichon.[2][6]
  • 1420 – “To sit in a council”.[2]
  • 1465 – Transitive use.[8][2]
  • c. 1500 – “To be present at (an event)”.[2]
  • 1580 – Assister quelqu'un de quelque chose.[2]
  • 1866 – Assisté, receiving public relief.[2]
  • c. 1975 – Assisté par ordinateur.[2]

Meanings

Verb

  1. Assister à: to attend, be present at: assister à une conférence, assister à un match.[8][9]
  2. Assister à: to witness: on assiste à une baisse des effectifs.[8][1]
  3. (transitive) To assist, help (someone) in their work: se faire assister par quelqu'un.[8][9]
  4. (transitive, law) To act for or with (a minor or an accused person).[8][4]
  5. (dated) To help, relieve: assister son prochain.[8][4]

Word family

  • assistance
  • assistant
  • assisté

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 m n o p Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  3. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b c d e Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  5. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 25, 562a
  6. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  7. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  8. ^ 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
  9. ^ a b Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)