ceindre

Forms

ceindre^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French ceindre, inherited from Latin cingō (“to surround, gird”).^[2][3][4][1] Rey takes the Latin verb to be probably Indo-European, comparing Sanskrit and Lithuanian words for binding and harnessing.^[3] French, like Occitan and Italian, kept the Latin stress on the stem, while Spanish and Portuguese moved the verb to the conjugation in ⟨-ir⟩.^[5]

Cognate with Romanian încinge, Italian cingere, Occitan cenher, Catalan cenyir, Spanish ceñir and Portuguese cingir.^[6][7][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found about 1050 in the Vie de saint Alexis, in espede ceindre “to gird on the sword”, literally to fasten the sword belt around oneself.^[2][3]

Semantic evolution

The verb expresses the idea of surrounding one thing with another, with a solemn tone that entourer and ceinturer lack.^[3] It was used reflexively of a part of the body (about 1165) and of surrounding a space (1165), especially of walling a town (1582).^[2][3]

Many uses are symbolic: ceindre un front de lauriers (Malherbe, before 1628), ceindre la tiare “to become pope” (Racine, 1691), ceindre le diadème “to become king” (1740), and today ceindre l'écharpe “to become mayor”.^[2][3] The biblical ceindre ses reins “to prepare for battle or for a hard life” is recorded in 1853.^[2][3] The past participle ceint, perhaps hindered by its likeness to saint, is little used, and its old noun use for a fortified enceinte (1211–1214) passed to the compound.^[3]

Timeline

• c. 1050 – Espede ceindre appears in the Vie de saint Alexis.^[2]
• 1165 – Wace uses it for surrounding a space.^[2]
• 1211–1214 – The participle is used as a noun for a ring of fortifications.^[2][3]
• 1582 – Garnier uses it for walling a town.^[2]
• 1691 – Racine writes ceindre la tiare.^[2][3]
• 1740 – The Académie records ceindre le diadème.^[2]
• 1853 – Ceindre ses reins is recorded.^[2][3]

Meanings

Verb

1. (literary) To encircle or bind a part of the body: elle ceignit sa tête d'un foulard.^[6][2]
2. (literary) To surround a place: un parc ceint de hauts murs.^[6][2]
3. To put something around one's body or head;^[6][3][1] ceindre la couronne or le diadème is to become king, ceindre la tiare to become pope, ceindre l'écharpe to become mayor.^[6][3][1]
4. Ceindre ses reins or se ceindre les reins: (figurative, biblical) to prepare for battle or for a hard trial.^[6][8][2]

Related words

• ceinture
• enceindre
• enceinte¹
• sangle
• cintre
• succinct
• Latin cingō

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o 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 e f g h i j k l m Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
6. ^ a b c d e f Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
7. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
8. ^ Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse