déchoir

Forms

déchoir^[1] Old French decheoir, decheeir.^[1][2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French decheoir, inherited from Vulgar Latin *dēcadō (“to fall”), an alteration of Latin dēcidō (“to fall down”), formed on cadō (“to fall”) with dē-.^{[3][4][5][2][1][6]} Littré already noted that the Latin of the texts has no such verb.^[7] It is related to choir and décadence.^[4]

Cognate with Old Occitan dechazer, Spanish decaer and Italian decadere.^[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found about 1100 in the Chanson de Roland: Mult decheent li nostre “our men are falling fast”, meaning to fall into a worse state, to succumb.^[3][4][7] The same text uses it of a thing that weakens: Com decarrat ma force “how my strength will wane”.^[3][7]

Semantic evolution

French lost early the literal sense “to fall”, and the sense “to weaken” and the uses “to get the worst of it, to succumb” have also gone; only the moral sense, “to sink to a lower condition”, remains.^[4][5] Joinville speaks of femmes dechues (before 1309), and theology has déchoir de l'état de grâce (Pascal, 1656).^[3]

In the classical language it was also said of a sick person going downhill and, at sea, of a ship drifting off its course.^[4][7] Today it is literary and used mostly in the infinitive and the past participle déchu; the transitive use “to deprive someone of a right” is mostly found in that participle.^[8][9]

Timeline

• c. 1100 – Decheent appears in the Chanson de Roland.^[3][4]
• 1174 – The derivative decaance (now déchéance) is recorded.^[4]
• 1270–1280 – The deverbal noun dechié (now déchet) appears.^[4]
• before 1309 – Joinville writes of femmes dechues.^[3]
• 1656 – Pascal uses déchoir de l'état de grâce.^[3][7]

Meanings

Verb

1. (literary) To fall to a lower state or rank, to come down in the world: déchoir de sa position.^[8][3][1]
2. (absolute) To demean oneself, to lose standing: il a pu refuser sans déchoir.^[8][3]
3. (dated, of things) To decline, diminish: sa réputation commence à déchoir.^[8][7]
4. (transitive) To deprive someone of a right as a sanction, mostly in the past participle: déchu de ses droits.^[8]
5. (theology) Déchoir de l'état de grâce: to lose the state of grâce.^[3][7]

Word family

• déchéance
• déchet
• déchu

Related words

• choir
• décadence
• Latin dēcidō
• English decay

Usage notes

It is conjugated with avoir when an action is meant and with être for the resulting state.^[9] The future is je déchoirai, formerly je décherrai, and it has no imperative or present participle.^[8]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
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 d e f g h Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 2, 28b
7. ^ a b c d e f g h Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
8. ^ a b c d e f Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
9. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse