calomnier

Forms

calomnier^[1] Middle French calumpnier (1375);^[2][3] 16th-century calumnier and calonnier.^[4]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin calumnior (“to bring false charges in court, to accuse falsely”),^[2][3][1] from calumnia (“false accusation”).^[4][5][6] Littré notes that the word was remade on the Latin, and that the older inherited form was Old French chalenger or calenger “to accuse, challenge”.^[4]

Littré compares Old Occitan calumpniar (“to claim, accuse”), Spanish calumniar and Italian calognare.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first recorded in 1375 as calumpnier in Nicole Oresme's Livre du ciel et du monde, in the sense of running someone down with slanders.^[2]

Semantic evolution

From 1541 (Calvin) the verb also took a thing as its object.^[2][3] Belon used it in 1555 more loosely for belittling someone or something.^[2] In the classical language calomnier quelqu'un de quelque chose meant to accuse someone falsely of it.^[7] It belongs to a family wholly borrowed from Latin, beside calomnie, calomniateur and calomnieux.^[5] The derivative calomniable, found once in the 15th century, was taken up again by Stendhal in 1811.^[2]

Timeline

• 1375 – Oresme writes calumpnier “to slander”.^[2][3]
• 1541 – Calvin uses it with a thing as its object.^[2][5]
• 1555 – Belon uses it in the sense “to disparage”.^[2]
• 1811 – Stendhal uses calomniable.^[2]

Meanings

Verb

1. To slander: to attack someone's honour or reputation with false accusations; to defame.^[8][9][2]
2. By extension, to accuse unjustly.^[8]
3. To distort something deliberately through false interpretations.^[10][7]
4. Se calomnier: to speak ill of oneself, make oneself out worse than one is.^[4]

Word family

• calomniable

Related words

• calomnie
• calomniateur
• calomnieux
• Latin calumnia

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k 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 d Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c d e Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
5. ^ a b c Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 2, 104b
7. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
8. ^ a b Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
9. ^ Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)
10. ^ Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)