bourrer

Forms

bourrer^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from French bourre (“coarse hair, stuffing”) + -er.^{[2][3][4][5][1]} Bourre is from Late Latin burra (“coarse cloth with long hairs”),^[6][5] a word that also gave Italian borra, Spanish borra, Catalan borra and Portuguese borra.^[5][7]

For the hunting and riding senses the TLFi suggests possible influence of the Walloon verb burir (“to rush”) (compare bourrir).^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first recorded on 4 July 1332, in a judgment of the Parlement de Paris, with the figurative sense “to ill-treat”;^[2][3] Rey thinks the word is older than that record.^[8]

Semantic evolution

The sense “to ill-treat, beat” has lasted and is now familiar (bourrer de coups), perhaps kept alive by the idea of ramming or forcing stuffing in.^[8] The literal sense, “to fill something by pressing stuffing into it”, is later (1519), with a gunsmith's use for ramming the wad into a firearm (1704).^[2][8] It is less common than the extended sense “to fill something to capacity”, used of food (“to stuff, gorge”) and of ideas: bourrer le crâne (1907) is to fill someone's head with falsehoods.^[8][2]

In hunting the verb was recorded by the Académie in 1694, for a dog tearing hair from a hare it catches.^[2][9] In popular speech the pronominal se bourrer means to get drunk, to eat a lot, and (1930–1935) to grow rich, and the absolute use means to go very fast.^[8][1]

Timeline

• 1332 – First recorded, meaning “to ill-treat”.^[2][3][5]
• 1465 – The derivative bourrage appears.^[5]
• 1519 – “To fill with stuffing” is recorded.^[2][8]
• 16th century – The derivative bourrade appears.^[5]
• 1694 – The Académie records the hunting sense.^[2]
• 1704 – The Dictionnaire de Trévoux records ramming the wad into a gun.^[2]
• 1907 – Bourrer le crâne is recorded in soldiers' slang.^[2][8]
• 1930–1935 – Se bourrer “to grow rich”.^[8]

Meanings

Verb

1. To stuff with wadding or padding (a cushion, a mattress); formerly, to ram the wad into a gun.^[10][4][1]
2. To fill completely by packing tightly (a suitcase, a pipe): bourrer les urnes, to stuff ballot boxes.^[10][4]
3. To make (someone) eat too much, to cram with food;^[10][4][1] se bourrer: to gorge oneself.^[10][4][1]
4. Bourrer le crâne (à quelqu'un): to fill someone's head with lies or propaganda.^[10][2][8]
5. (familiar) To beat, hit: bourrer de coups.^[8][9][1]
6. (familiar) Se bourrer: to get drunk.^[8][1]
7. (familiar, intransitive) To go very fast, rush.^[8][1]
8. (hunting) Of a dog, to tear hair from a hare it seizes.^[9][2]

Word family

• bourratif
• bourrée
• bourrade
• bourrage

Related words

• bourre
• bourreau
• rembourrer
• Late Latin burra

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m 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 Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
5. ^ a b c d e f Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 1, 637b
7. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
9. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
10. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert