Etymologically
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briser

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /bʁi.ze/[1]

Forms

briser[1] Old French brisier.[2][1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French brisier, inherited from Vulgar Latin *brisiō, a form required by Old French and by the Italian outcomes,[2][3][4] probably from Late Latin brisō (“to tread grapes”) (about 700).[2][5][3][6] Rey suggests the change may be due to the ending of verbs such as *quassiō (“to smash”) (see casser).[2]

The Latin verb itself is obscure.[2] Bloch and Wartburg, the Grand Robert and the GLLF think it Gaulish, comparing Irish brissim (“I break”), and Bloch and Wartburg explain the voiced ⟨s⟩ by crossing with Old French bruisier (“to break”), also Celtic; the Grand Robert attaches it to a word for grape marc.[5][3][7] The Petit Robert calls its origin unknown.[4] Diez, followed by Littré, derived it from Old High German brestan (“to burst”), and Wiktionary mentions a Frankish *bristan as possible.[8][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Chanson de Roland (about 1100) has it for breaking bones and weapons: Tranche le piz, si lui brise les os, “he cuts his chest and breaks his bones”.[8][2][5]

Semantic evolution

In central modern French the concrete sense “to shatter with a blow” is literary beside the usual casser, though it stays neutral in some regions and in Quebec, where it is the ordinary word and even means “out of order”.[2][4] Already in Old French it meant to break a unity: briser la paix (1214), briser un vœu (about 1274), in competition with rompre.[2]

Figuratively it meant to destroy violently (briser les courages, about 1355), to crush a person (1541), and so “to exhaust” (1718), chiefly in brisé de fatigue.[2] The old sense “to put an end to” (about 1360) was specialized for speech (1470) and declined after the 17th century.[2] Compounds in brise- are many: brise-tout (1371), brise-glace (1751), brise-lames (1818).[5]

Timeline

  • c. 1100 – “To break”, Chanson de Roland.[5][2]
  • 1207 – brisure.[5]
  • 1214 – Briser la paix.[2]
  • c. 1355 – Briser les courages.[2]
  • 1413 – bris.[5]
  • 1549 – débris.[5]
  • 1718 – “To exhaust”.[2]

Meanings

Verb

  1. (literary; usual in Quebec) To break, shatter: briser une vitre, briser la glace, to break the ice.[4][7][1]
  2. To crush, put down: briser une grève, la résistance.[4]
  3. To break off, put an end to.[4][2]
  4. To break someone's spirit, briser le cœur, to break the heart, brisé de fatigue, worn out.[1][2]
  5. Briser ses chaînes, briser le joug: to throw off servitude.[7]
  6. Se briser: to break; of waves, to break.[1][4]

Word family

  • bris
  • brisant
  • brisement
  • briseur
  • brisure
  • débris
  • brise-glace
  • brise-lames
  • brise-tout

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g 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. ^ 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 g Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  5. ^ 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
  6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 1, 531b
  7. ^ a b c Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  8. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette