conditionner

Forms

conditionner^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from French condition + -er.^{[2][3][1][4][5]} The philosophical use of the past participle as a noun (1823) is a calque of German das Bedingte (Kant, 1781), probably through the English the conditioned of William Hamilton (1829).^[2][3] The term in psychology is probably a calque of the English conditioned reflex (1915), the term used for Pavlov's work.^[2][3]

Cognate with Old Occitan conditionar, Spanish condicionar and Italian condizionare.^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

In Jean de Meun's Roman de la Rose (about 1280) it means “to subject to conditions or constraints”: women, born free, are condicionnées by law.^[2][6]

Semantic evolution

In the law of the 14th century it meant “to agree, make a covenant” (1304) and “to load an agreement with clauses” (Froissart); the first use was lost in the 16th century.^[2][3] From 1611 a commodity bien conditionnée was one with the required qualities, and the Académie recorded conditionner “to make with the required qualities” in 1694;^[2][5] the sense was applied to silk dried by a special process (1769) and to preparing products for sale (1949).^[2]

In philosophy le conditionné (1823), then conditionner des phénomènes (1883), express what is determined by conditions; from it came “to determine someone's behaviour”, said of events and circumstances (Barrès, 1900), a use once criticized but widespread in the 20th century.^[2][3] Réflexe conditionné is found in Malraux in 1928.^[2]

Timeline

• c. 1280 – Jean de Meun uses it in the Roman de la Rose.^[2][6]
• 1304 – Recorded in the sense “to make a covenant”.^[2]
• Late 14th century – Froissart uses it for loading an agreement with clauses.^[2]
• 1611 – A commodity bien conditionnée is one with the required qualities.^[2][3]
• 1694 – The Académie records the sense “to make with the required qualities”.^[2][5]
• 1769 – Soie conditionnée “dried silk”.^[2]
• 1823 – Maine de Biran uses le conditionné in philosophy.^[2][3]
• 1900 – Barrès uses it for circumstances that determine behaviour.^[2][3]
• 1928 – Réflexe conditionné in Malraux.^[2]
• 1949 – First record for preparing products for sale.^[2]

Meanings

Verb

1. To prepare or package goods for shipping and sale: du jus conditionné en bouteilles.^[5][7][1]
2. (textiles) To treat fabrics or silk by conditionnement.^[5][6]
3. To be the condition of something, to determine it: La météo conditionne la récolte.^[5][8][2]
4. (psychology) To condition a person or animal, to produce a conditioned reflex: réflexe conditionné.^[5][2]
5. To determine a person's behaviour or way of thinking, said of circumstances or influences.^[2][9]

Word family

• conditionnement
• conditionneur
• inconditionné

Related words

• condition
• conditionnel
• inconditionnel

References

1. ^ a b c d 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 q r s t u v 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 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 c d e f g Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ a b c d Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
7. ^ Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)
8. ^ Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
9. ^ Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse