crier

Pronunciation

• IPA: /kʁi.je/^[1]

Forms

crier^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Vulgar Latin *crītō, a reduced form of Latin quirītō (“to call for help; to protest loudly”).^{[2][3][4][1][5]} Varro derived “quirītāre” from “Quirītēs” “Roman citizens”, as if it first meant “to call the citizens together”, but Rey and Bloch and Wartburg see this as a mere likeness of sound: the verb is onomatopoeic, as its doublet “quirrītāre”, said of a boar, suggests.^[3][4] The same imitative base is found in Dutch krijten.^[4][3]

Cognate with Italian gridare, Old Occitan cridar, Catalan cridar, Spanish gritar and Portuguese gritar, which keep /t/ for its expressive value.^[4][6][7] English cry was borrowed in the 13th century, and Breton crial also comes from it.^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Passion de Clermont (late 10th century) uses it for saying something in a loud voice; about 1050 the Vie de saint Alexis has it for a person crying out.^[2][3] The Chanson de Roland has Cel nen i a qui ne crie : Marsile ! (“there is none who does not cry: Marsile!”).^[8]

Semantic evolution

Philippe de Thaon (about 1120) uses it of an animal, and, from the late 12th century it also meant to complain or protest.^[2][3] About 1180 it meant to proclaim something publicly, a sense of great importance in political and commercial life, as in Étienne Boileau's Livre des métiers (about 1268) for crying goods for sale in the street.^[2][3] The present participle criant “glaring, outrageous” is recorded in 1677.^[2]

The derived noun cri (about 975) followed every use of the verb; the street cries of merchants survive in the phrase dernier cri “the latest fashion” (1892).^[3] Criée (about 1165) came to mean a public sale by auction, and criard (1495) a shrill or garish thing.^[3]

Timeline

• late 10th century – “To say in a loud voice”, in the Passion de Clermont.^[2]
• c. 1050 – “To cry out”, in the Vie de saint Alexis.^[2]
• c. 1120 – Of an animal, in Philippe de Thaon.^[2]
• c. 1180 – “To proclaim publicly”.^[2][3]
• c. 1268 – Crying goods for sale, in Étienne Boileau.^[2]
• 13th century – English cry is borrowed.^[6]
• 1677 – Criant “outrageous”.^[2]

Meanings

Verb

1. To shout, cry out, scream: crier de douleur, crier comme un sourd.^[6][9]
2. (of an animal) To give its call.^[6][9]
3. To raise one's voice, talk loudly; to scold: crier après quelqu'un.^[6]
4. (of things) To creak, squeak.^[1]
5. To shout (something); to proclaim: crier sa colère, crier quelque chose sur les toits.^[1][2]
6. To cry (goods for sale) in the street.^[2][3]
7. In phrases: crier famine, crier victoire, crier au loup, sans crier gare (without warning).^[1]

Word family

• cri
• criée
• crieur
• criard
• criailler
• crierie
• décrier
• écrier
• récrier

Related words

• English cry
• Latin quirītō

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ 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
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 d Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
5. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 2, 1484b
6. ^ a b c d e f Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
7. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
8. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
9. ^ a b Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)