bruire

Forms

bruire^[1] Anglo-Norman also had bruer and bruier.^[2] The verb is defective: it is used mainly in the infinitive, the third persons and the present participle bruissant.^[3][4] It was once conjugated like fuir, which gave the old participle bruyant, and is now conjugated like finir.^[3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Vulgar Latin *brūgō, a Vulgar Latin verb recorded in the third person brugit in the 7th century and used of the belling of a stag.^[4][1] It is usually explained as a crossing of Latin rugiō (“to roar”) with Vulgar Latin *bragō, the source of braire.^[4][5][6][1] The FEW files it under the Latin verb for “to roar”.^[7]

Littré compared Old Occitan bruzir, brugir, Catalan brugir and Italian bruire; he noted Ménage's and Diez's derivation from the Latin verb for “to roar” with an added ⟨b⟩, and rejected Celtic words such as Breton brûd because they could not explain the /g/ of the southern forms.^[8]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Glossaire Larousse dates it to the Chanson de Roland (1080), meaning “to make a noise”;^[9] Littré quotes the Roncevaux text: Bruient li mont, et li val resona “the mountains roar, and the valley resounded”.^[8] The Grand Robert's first record is the Voyage de Charlemagne (1100–1150).^[6]

Semantic evolution

In the 12th century the verb meant “to make a noise” in general, both with and without an object, and mostly of a loud noise; it was said of the lion's roar and the bull's bellow from the early 13th century.^[4] Figuratively it meant “to resound”, and as a verb of speech “to say” and “to sing, celebrate”.^[4] Anglo-Norman used it of rushing water, blustering wind and noisy birds.^[2] Chrétien de Troyes already used it, about 1175, for a soft continuous murmur.^[9]

From the early 17th century usage narrowed the verb to “to make a slight noise” (1606), and the louder senses passed to the phrase faire du bruit.^[4] At the same time the verb was reduced to a few forms, chiefly the infinitive and the imperfect bruissait.^[4] Its deverbal noun bruit kept the old sense “rumour” that the verb lost.^[4]

Timeline

• 1080 – First recorded in the Chanson de Roland, meaning “to make a noise”.^[9]
• 1100–1150 – Used in the Voyage de Charlemagne.^[6]
• c. 1175 – Chrétien de Troyes uses it of a soft, continuous murmur.^[9]
• Early 13th century – It is said of the roar of a lion and the bellow of a bull.^[4]
• 16th century – It is still used with a direct object.^[8]
• 1606 – Its use is narrowed to “to make a slight noise”.^[4]

Meanings

Verb

1. (literary) To make a soft, confused, continuous sound; to rustle, murmur: les feuilles bruissaient sous la pluie.^[3][10][9]
2. (obsolete) To make a loud noise, to resound.^[3][9]

Word family

• bruant
• bruit
• bruissement
• bruyant

Related words

• braire
• rugir
• Latin rugiō

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)
3. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
6. ^ a b c Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
7. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 10, 546b
8. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
9. ^ a b c d e f Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
10. ^ 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