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débarrasser

Etymology and origin of the French word débarrasser

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
1544, Catherine de Médicis, letters
Borrowed from
Spanish desembarazar
Ultimate origin
Spanish (embarazar)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /de.ba.ʁa.se/[1]

Forms

débarrasser[1]

Etymology

It is a shortening, by a change of prefix, of desembarrasser (1535, in the customs of Ypres),[2][3][4] borrowed from Spanish desembarazar (“to clear of what encumbers”) (1495, Nebrija), formed from embarazar (“to hinder”), the source of embarrasser.[2][3][1][5] The Grand Robert and the Petit Robert instead explain it from dé- and the stem of that verb, after Italian sbarazzare, a view Pierre Guiraud criticized.[6][7]

The TLFi compares the first record, “debaracee de mon enfantement”, with the dialect use of embarrassée for “pregnant” and embarazada (“pregnant”).[2][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Catherine de Médicis writes in 1544 that she is debaracee de mon enfantement, “delivered of my child”.[2][3][6]

Semantic evolution

Se débarrasser de “to free oneself of” is recorded in 1584,[2][3] and the sense “to clear (a thing or place) of what clutters it” before 1655 (Cyrano de Bergerac).[2] The familiar débarrasser le plancher “to clear off” dates from 1843.[2][3] Used alone the verb stands for débarrasser la table, “to clear the table”.[3] The Académie gave desbarrasser or desembarrasser in 1718 and also débarrasser in 1740.[2] In Swiss French it is also used for “to take away (something in the way)”.[3]

The noun débarras, recorded by the Académie in 1798 as a noun of action, came to mean a lumber room (1810).[3][4]

Timeline

  • 1495 – Spanish desembarazar (Nebrija).[2]
  • 1535 – Desembarrasser.[2]
  • 1544 – Debaracee in Catherine de Médicis.[2]
  • 1584 – Se débarrasser de.[2]
  • Before 1655 – “To clear (a place)”, in Cyrano de Bergerac.[2]
  • 1740 – The Académie records débarrasser.[2]
  • 1798 – Débarras.[3]
  • 1843 – Débarrasser le plancher.[2]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To Clear (a place, a piece of furniture) of what clutters it: débarrasser la table, or simply débarrasser, to clear the table.[7][1]
  2. To rid or relieve (someone) of something: débarrasser un visiteur de son manteau.[7][1]
  3. Se débarrasser de: to get rid of; to take off (a garment).[1][3]
  4. Débarrasser le plancher (familiar): to clear off, to leave.[7][3]

Word family

  • débarras
  • embarrasser
  • embarras

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 n o 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. ^ a b c 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. 1, 260a
  6. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  7. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Débarrasser.” Etymologically, 18 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/d%C3%A9barrasser. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

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