cribler

Forms

cribler^[1] Old French crebler (about 1220), crieuler (late 13th century) and cliver;^[2][3][4][1] cribler is the 15th-century form.^[2][3][4][1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French cribler, inherited from Late Latin crīblō (5th century), a dissimilated form of crībrō (“to sift”),^[3][5][1][6] from crībrum (“sieve”).^[5][7] It is related to crible, from the same Latin word.^[7][5]

Cognate with Old Occitan criular, Spanish cribar and Portuguese crivar;^[4][8] Littré cites Picard guerbler and Walloon crîler.^[8]

Earliest recorded meaning

It first appears as the past participle criblé in the figurative sense “pierced through, overwhelmed by many ills”, in Florence de Rome (first quarter of the 13th century), before the literal sense “to sift” is found in a Douai glossary at the end of the 13th century.^[3][5]

Semantic evolution

The literal sense was soon extended to sorting ideas: Pontus de Tyard writes cribler les opinions in 1552.^[3][2] Construed with de, the verb came to mean to pierce with many holes, like a sieve (1659), and to cover or dot all over, as with spots;^[5][2][9] être criblé de dettes is to be deep in debt.^[5][2][9]

From it come criblure “siftings” (1439), cribleur (1556, earlier crieulleur in 1493) and criblage (1573).^[5]

Timeline

• 1200–1225 – Criblee “pierced, overwhelmed” in Florence de Rome.^[3]
• c. 1220 – Gautier de Coinci writes crebler “to sift”.^[2]
• late 13th century – Crieuler “to sift” in a Douai glossary.^[3]
• 1439 – criblure is first recorded.^[5]
• 1552 – Pontus de Tyard writes cribler les opinions.^[3]
• 1573 – criblage appears.^[5]
• 1659 – Dassoucy uses it for “to pierce with holes”.^[2]
• 1790 – The slang sense “to bark, shout” is recorded.^[5]

Meanings

Verb

1. To sift, sieve, to sort through a sieve: cribler du gravier.^[9][3][1]
2. (figurative) To sort or examine closely.^[2][3]
3. To riddle with holes: une portière criblée de balles.^[9][1]
4. To cover or dot all over: un front criblé de taches de rousseur.^[9][1]
5. (figurative) To overwhelm with: être criblé de dettes, cribler quelqu’un de reproches.^[9]

Word family

• criblure
• cribleur
• criblage

Related words

• crible
• Latin crībrum

Usage notes

The old slang cribler “to bark, shout” (1790) is probably an alteration of crier, and gave the slang noun criblement “a cry, a bark” (1821).^[5][10]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
3. ^ 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
4. ^ a b c Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 2, 1333b
7. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
8. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
9. ^ a b c d e f Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
10. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 2, 1484b