autoritaire

Forms

autoritaire (plural autoritaires)^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from French autorité + -aire.^[2][3][1] It draws on the base's sense of a right to command and to be obeyed.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Grand Robert, Petit Robert and Rey date it 1863, of political power; the TLFi's first record is from 1865, in the Journal des Débats, where France is called démocratique et autoritaire.^[3][4][2]

Semantic evolution

Flaubert used it of things in 1865 (la mesure autoritaire). From Zola's Le Ventre de Paris (1873) on, it described people who want to impose their will.^[2][4] Zola used it as a noun in Germinal (1885).^[2] Littré still called it a neologism.^[5] Its derivatives autoritarisme (1870) and autoritairement (1875) followed soon.^[4]

Timeline

• 1863 – First recorded, of political power.^[3][4]
• 1865 – The Journal des Débats and Flaubert use it.^[2]
• 1866 – Larousse records it.^[6]
• 1873 – Zola applies it to a domineering person.^[2][4]
• 1885 – Zola uses it as a noun in Germinal.^[2]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Fond of authority and quick to use or abuse it, authoritarian: un régime autoritaire.^[7][2]
2. Who likes to be obeyed, domineering, and showing this: un ton autoritaire.^[7][6]

Noun

1. An authoritarian person.^[2][6]

Word family

• autoritairement
• autoritarisme
• autoritariste

Related words

• autorité
• autoriser

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i 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
3. ^ a b c Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c d e f Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
6. ^ a b c Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
7. ^ a b Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert