contraster

Forms

contraster^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French contrester (“to resist”), recorded from about 1100 to 1660, reshaped in 1541 under the influence of Italian contrastare (“to contradict, to oppose”).^[2][3][4] The Old French verb, like the Italian one, is inherited from Late Latin contrāstō (“to oppose”), made of contrā (“against”) and stō (“to stand”).^[3][2][5] Littré held instead that the verb was taken from Italian in the 16th century,^[6] and the GLLF sees in it a reshaping of the Old French verb after the noun contraste.^[7]

Cognate with Occitan contrastar and Spanish contrastar.^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record, in Georges de Selve's Huict Vies de Plutarque (1541), has the strong sense “to fight against”, construed with à.^[2][3]

Semantic evolution

In the 16th century the verb still meant to fight or struggle against something, transitively or with à.^[3] In the 17th century it took the weaker sense of being sharply opposed, mostly of things, starting from painting, where Molière speaks of groupes contrastés in 1669, probably after Italian usage.^[3][2] The construction with avec, recorded by the Académie in 1740, is now the usual one.^[3][7][8]

The adjectives contrasté (1669) and contrastant (1787) were formed from the verb; the noun contraste followed the same course, reshaped in 1580 after Italian contrasto.^[3] English contrast was taken from the French verb as a fine-arts term in the 1690s.^[9]

Timeline

• c. 1100 – Old French contrester “to resist” appears in the Chanson de Roland.^[2][3]
• 1541 – Contraster “to fight against” appears in Georges de Selve's Plutarch.^[2][3]
• 1660 – Last record of contrester, in Oudin's French–Spanish dictionary.^[2]
• 1669 – Molière uses contrasté of groups in a painting.^[2][3]
• 1690s – English borrows the verb as contrast.^[9]
• 1740 – The Académie records the intransitive sense “to be in contrast”.^[7][8][3]

Meanings

Verb

1. (intransitive) To be in contrast, to stand out sharply against something, often with avec: Sa voix calme contrastait avec son regard inquiet.^[8][2][6]
2. (transitive, literary) To set things in contrast, especially in painting, sculpture or writing.^[8][6][7]

Related words

• contraste
• contrasté
• rester
• Latin contrā
• English contrast

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i 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 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. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 2, 1123a
6. ^ a b c d Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
7. ^ a b c d Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
8. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
9. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com