défaire

Forms

défaire^[1] Old French desfaire, also written deffaire and desfere.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is formed from French dé- + faire.^[2][4][5][6] Wiktionary instead takes Old French desfaire from Early Medieval Latin disfaciō.^[1] The base verb faire is from Latin faciō (“to do, to make”).^[5]

Littré compares Italian disfare.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found about 1100 in the Chanson de Roland: L'ost des Franceis verrez sempres desfere, “you will soon see the army of the French break up”, of an army broken up for departure.^[2][3]

Semantic evolution

From the start défaire meant to change or undo what had been made or ordered, hence to destroy and to overcome someone.^[7][8] It meant “to put to death” from about 1160, a sense now obsolete, and the past participle was said of a body ravaged by illness in Béroul's Tristan (late 12th century), the origin of the modern sense “altered in looks by fatigue or emotion”.^[2]

The pronominal se défaire de “to get rid of” was first said of a person (about 1306, Joinville) and then of a thing (1424–1457).^[2] The military sense “to rout, to defeat” is recorded from the Cent Nouvelles nouvelles (1456–1467), and gave the noun défaite “rout” (1475).^[2][7][5] Commynes uses it for removing a ruler from power (1489–1491), and Scarron for disconcerting someone (1651).^[2][8]

Timeline

• c. 1100 – The Chanson de Roland uses desfere of an army breaking up.^[2]
• c. 1160 – The Roman de Thèbes uses it for “to put to death”.^[2]
• Late 12th century – Béroul's Tristan has desfait “disfigured by illness”.^[2]
• 1174 – The derivative redéfaire is recorded.^[7]
• c. 1306 – Joinville uses se défaire de a person.^[2]
• 1424–1457 – Se défaire de is said of a thing.^[2]
• 1456–1467 – The Cent Nouvelles nouvelles use it for defeating an enemy.^[2]
• 1475 – Défaite takes the sense “rout”.^[7][5]
• 1489–1491 – Commynes uses it for deposing a king.^[2]
• 1651 – Scarron uses it for “to disconcert”.^[8]

Meanings

Verb

1. To undo, to take apart what was built or assembled: défaire une tresse, défaire une broderie.^[9][8][1]
2. To undo the arrangement of something: défaire sa valise (to unpack), défaire le lit.^[9][10][1]
3. To break off, to cancel (an agreement, a marriage).^[8][3][1]
4. (literary) To defeat, to rout (an enemy, an army).^[9][3][1]
5. To alter someone's looks through illness, fatigue or emotion, chiefly in the past participle: un visage défait.^[2][3]
6. Se défaire: to come undone, to fall apart.^[8][1]
7. Se défaire de: to get rid of, to part with (someone or something).^[2][1]

Word family

• redéfaire
• défaite

Related words

• faire
• refaire

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Steinfeld, Nadine; Buchi, Éva, eds. (2005–), TLF-Étym: révision des notices étymologiques du Trésor de la langue française informatisé, Nancy: ATILF
3. ^ a b c d e f Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
4. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ a b c d 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. 3, 348b
7. ^ a b c d Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
8. ^ a b c d e f 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
9. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
10. ^ Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse