aversion

Forms

aversion f (plural aversions)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin āversiō (“a turning away”), from āvertō (“to turn away”), formed on vertō (“to turn”).^{[2][3][4][5][1][6]} In classical Latin the noun meant “going astray”; in Late Latin, from the 4th century, it took the sense “repulsion”.^[2][4]

The early French senses follow classical Latin, while the modern sense is a fresh borrowing of the Late Latin one in the 17th century.^[2][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Anglo-Norman form aversiun is recorded about 1136–1165 for contrariety or opposition.^[7] In continental French the word is found in the 13th century in the general sense of “going astray”.^[2][3]

Semantic evolution

In Middle French it also meant the act of turning away from something, as in a text of about 1477–1481 on the soul turning its back on God like a man who turns his back to the sun.^[8] From 1537 it was a medical term for the drawing away of blood or humours, a révulsion: Ambroise Paré warns against faire aversion du sang vers les parties nobles.^[2][3][5][9] In rhetoric it was another name for apostrophe¹, the turning of one's speech away to another person.^[9]

The modern sense, strong dislike or repulsion, is first found in 1636, in Corneille's Le Cid.^[2][3][10] Classical French said avoir aversion à and avoir de l'aversion contre, since replaced by pour.^[11][10] Rey considers avoir or prendre en aversion fairly recent, though Littré already gives prendre quelqu'un en aversion and the familiar c'est ma bête d'aversion for a person one cannot bear.^[2][5]

Timeline

• c. 1136–1165 – Anglo-Norman aversiun “opposition”.^[7]
• 13th century – Found in the sense “going astray”.^[2][3]
• 1537 – Medical sense “drawing away of the blood, revulsion”.^[2][3]
• 1636 – Corneille's Le Cid uses the modern sense “repulsion”.^[2][3]

Meanings

Noun

1. A strong dislike or repugnance for something: son aversion pour les chiffres.^[10][12][11]
2. A violent antipathy towards a person.^[11][5][12]
3. (literary) Avoir quelqu'un or quelque chose en aversion: to loathe them.^[10][5]

Related words

• version
• Latin āversiō
• Latin āvertō

Usage notes

The opposite is sympathie or goût; near synonyms are antipathie, dégoût and répulsion.^[10][12]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ a b c d e f g Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
5. ^ a b c d e Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 25, 1218b
7. ^ a b Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)
8. ^ Dictionnaire du Moyen Français, version 2015 (DMF 2015), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/dmf
9. ^ a b Godefroy, Frédéric (1881–1902), Dictionnaire de l'ancienne langue française et de tous ses dialectes du IXe au XVe siècle, 10 vols., Paris: Vieweg / Bouillon
10. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
11. ^ a b c Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
12. ^ a b c 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