celer

Forms

celer^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French celer, inherited from Latin cēlō (“to hide, conceal”).^{[1][2][3][4][5]} Rey traces the Latin verb to an Indo-European root Proto-Indo-European *kel-, also found in cella, color and clam, in Old High German helan (“to hide”), Old Norse háll (“sly”) and, extended, in Ancient Greek καλύπτω (kalúptō, “to cover, hide”).^[3][6]

Cognate with Italian celare, Spanish celar and Old Occitan celar.^[4][7][8]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found in the Vie de saint Léger (about 980);^[3][9] the TLFi's first dated record, in the Vie de saint Alexis (about 1050), has the sense “to hide, keep secret”.^[2]

Semantic evolution

The verb means “to keep hidden, conceal”, and Bloch and Wartburg note that it is said of what one means to keep secret, which sets it apart from cacher.^[3][4] It suffered from the competition of cacher in everyday use and now serves as its noble, archaic doublet;^[3] it is rare in the Gallo-Romance dialects, though the Centre says à celé “sheltered from the rain”.^[4] The reflexive “to hide oneself” is found about 1160 in Wace,^[2] and se faire celer “to refuse to see visitors” in the 16th century.^[2][9] The prefixed receler and déceler are far more alive than the simple verb.^[3][6]

Timeline

• c. 980 – First found in the Vie de saint Léger.^[3][9]
• c. 1050 – “To hide, keep secret” in the Vie de saint Alexis.^[2]
• c. 1160 – Reflexive se celer “to hide oneself” in Wace's Roman de Rou.^[2]
• c. 1170 – The prefixed receler appears.^[3]
• 1188 – Déceler “to reveal what is hidden”.^[3]
• 16th century – Se faire céler “to refuse one's door”.^[2]

Meanings

Verb

1. (literary, transitive) To conceal, keep secret: celer ses projets.^[2][6][9]
2. Pour ne rien vous celer, à ne vous rien celer: to be quite frank with you.^[2][9]
3. (dated) Se faire celer: to have visitors told that one is not at home.^[2][9][7]
4. (dated, reflexive) Se celer: to hide oneself.^[2][7]

Word family

• receler
• recel
• receleur
• déceler

Related words

• cacher
• cellule
• occulter
• clandestin
• Latin cēlō
• English conceal

Usage notes

Littré gives the pronunciation /sə.le/ and writes je cèle, je cèlerai before a mute syllable;^[7] the Grand Robert gives /sə.le/ and the commoner /se.le/.^[10]

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 e f g h i Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c d Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
5. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 2, 571b
6. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
7. ^ a b c d Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
8. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
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. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert