déchausser

Forms

déchausser^[1] Old French desjalcier (11th century), deschalcier (12th century) and deschaucier (13th century); déchausser from the 16th century.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French deschaucier, inherited from Late Latin discalceō (“to take off the shoes”), from dis- and calceō (“to put shoes on”).^[4][5][2][1] The TLFi treats it as formed in French from chausser with the prefix dé-.^[3]

Cognate with Italian scalzare (with another prefix), Old Occitan descaussar, Catalan descalsar and Spanish descalzar,^[4][6] and with the Picard decaucher.^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

Its first record, as desjalcier in Rashi's French glosses (11th century), already has the special sense “to loosen (the teeth) from the gums”, which the DHLF sees as a figurative use of “to take off the shoes”.^[3][7]

Semantic evolution

The sense “to take off someone's shoes” is recorded about 1160 in the Roman d'Enéas.^[3][7] The sense for teeth is used mostly in the past participle, dents déchaussées.^[7] About 1230 the verb was applied to trees and plants, for clearing the earth from round their foot, a use that stayed in horticulture.^[3][7] The same idea of laying bare the base gave the builders' use for a wall whose foundations are uncovered.^[6][8]

The figurative phrase n'être pas digne de déchausser quelqu'un means to be far beneath someone.^[3][6][2] In the 20th century the verb was used in skiing and mountaineering for taking off, or losing, one's skis or crampons.^[9][8][3]

Timeline

• 11th century – Desjalcier “to loosen the teeth from the gums” appears in Rashi's glosses.^[3][7]
• c. 1160 – Deschalcier “to take off someone's shoes” in the Roman d'Enéas.^[3]
• c. 1230 – First used of the foot of a tree.^[3][7]
• 1390 – The noun déchaussage appears, for what a bride gave the young men to drink on her wedding day.^[3][7]
• 1471 – Deschaussouers, tools for clearing the foot of trees, are recorded.^[3]
• 16th century – The spelling déchausser appears.^[2]
• 1762 – The Académie records déchaussoir.^[3]
• 1838 – Déchaussage is used for clearing the foot of trees.^[3]

Meanings

Verb

1. To take off someone's shoes: déchausser un enfant malade.^[3][8][6]
2. (reflexive) Se déchausser: to take off one's shoes: on se déchausse avant d'entrer.^[3][8][6]
3. (figurative, dated) N'être pas digne de déchausser quelqu'un: to be far inferior to someone.^[3][6][2]
4. To lay bare at the base: to expose the foot and roots of a tree or plant, or the foundations of a wall.^[8][6][2]
5. To loosen (a tooth) from the gum;^[8][6] se déchausser, of a tooth, to become loose in its socket.^[8][6]
6. (skiing) To take off or lose one's skis; also, to remove crampons or bindings.^[8][3][9]

Word family

• déchaussage
• déchaussoir

Related words

• chausser
• chausse
• déchaux
• Latin calceus

Usage notes

French also had, until the 17th century, the adjective déchaux “barefoot”, from a popular Latin *discalceus, still used in dialects and in the name of the Discalced Carmelites, carmes déchaux.^[4]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f 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 k l m n o p q r 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 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 d e f g h i j Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
7. ^ a b c d e f g Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
8. ^ a b c d e f g h Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
9. ^ a b Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF