contraindre

Forms

contraindre^[1] Old French constreindre, soon constraindre, and contraindre.^[2][3][1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French constreindre, inherited from Latin cōnstringō (“to bind together, to chain, to restrain”).^[4][5][2] The Latin verb is formed from cum (“with”) and stringō (“to draw tight, squeeze”),^[5][3] the verb that also gave étreindre.^[6]

Cognate with Italian costringere, Old Occitan costrenher, Catalan costrenyer, Spanish constreñir and Portuguese constranger.^[7][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found about 1120 in the Oxford Psalter, meaning “to press, to weigh on”, translating Latin urgeat.^[4][3]

Semantic evolution

The physical sense “to press, squeeze, hem in” lasted a long time: Furetière still spoke in 1690 of people constrained by tight clothes or shoes.^[5] The abstract sense, dominant today, appeared in the 12th century in the reflexive, “to keep (someone) from following his natural bent, to hold oneself back” (about 1174).^[4][5] The participle contraint “ill at ease, forced” keeps something of it.^[5]

Usage came to favour the sense “to force (someone) to act against his will” (1253), which in law became “to compel by legal process” (1283, Beaumanoir).^[4][5] Beaumanoir writes of compelling someone par prise de cors ou de biens “by seizure of body or goods”.^[4][6] The noun contrainte, from the feminine past participle, is recorded from the 12th century.^[2][5]

Timeline

• c. 1120 – Constreindre “to press, weigh on” appears in the Oxford Psalter.^[4][3]
• c. 1174 – Guernes de Pont-Sainte-Maxence uses the reflexive for holding oneself back.^[4]
• 12th century – The noun contrainte is recorded.^[2]
• 1253 – First record of the sense “to force someone against his will”.^[4][5]
• 1283 – Beaumanoir uses it for compulsion by legal process.^[4][5]
• 1382 – The legal adjective contraignable appears.^[4]
• 1690 – Furetière records un air contraint, a stiff manner.^[4]

Meanings

Verb

1. (dated or literary) To restrain, to hold back: contraindre sa colère.^[8][9]
2. To compel, force someone to act against his will: La maladie l'a contraint à renoncer à son voyage.^[8][4]
3. (law) To compel by legal process.^[8][6]
4. (reflexive) se contraindre: to hold oneself back, to force oneself to do something.^[8][6]
5. (obsolete) To squeeze, to press tightly.^[4][6]

Word family

• contraignant
• contraint
• contrainte
• contraignable

Related words

• astreindre
• constriction
• étreindre
• restreindre
• English constrain

References

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