convoiter

Forms

convoiter^[1] Old French coveitier, covoitier, then convoitier (about 1280) and convetier (1289).^[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French convoitier, a remodelling of the older coveitier, inherited from Vulgar Latin *cupidietō (“to desire eagerly”).^[2][3][1] The Vulgar Latin verb was formed on *cupidietās, an alteration of Classical Latin cupiditās (“desire”) after abstract nouns such as anxietās and medietās.^[2][4][5] Its first syllable was later remade after the prefix con- under the influence of the many words beginning with that prefix.^[2][4][3] The Latin noun comes from cupidus (“greedy”).^[6]

Bloch and Wartburg note that the word is found only in Gallo-Romance, as in Old Occitan cobeitar.^[4] Littré adds the Walloon form cowèter.^[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

Wace has coveitier before 1155, in his Vie de saint Nicolas, with the sense “to desire eagerly”.^[2][3]

Semantic evolution

The verb has kept its first sense of desiring something greedily, especially what belongs to someone else, which brings it close to envier.^[3] Richelet called it an old word in 1680, but it stayed in common use.^[2][3] Like convoitise, it is also used of sexual desire.^[3][6]

Its relatives convoitise and convoiteur kept the general Latin idea of ardent desire, while the learned cupide and cupidité came to mean greed for money.^[3]

Timeline

• before 1155 – Coveitier appears in Wace's Vie de saint Nicolas.^[2]
• c. 1150 – The noun coveitise, later convoitise, is recorded.^[3]
• c. 1280 – The remade form convoitier is found.^[2][3]
• 1289 – The spelling convetier appears in a document from the Loiret.^[2]
• 1680 – Richelet calls the verb an old word.^[2]

Meanings

Verb

1. To covet: to desire eagerly something that others dispute or that belongs to another person.^[8][9][10]
2. To desire a woman sexually.^[6][7]

Word family

• convoitise

Usage notes

The proverb qui tout convoite tout perd, “he who covets everything loses everything”, is found from the 12th century.^[7]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j 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 Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
5. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ a b c Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
7. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
8. ^ Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
9. ^ Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
10. ^ Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)