Etymologically
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défendre

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /de.fɑ̃dʁ/[1]

Forms

défendre[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Latin dēfendō (“to ward off, repel; to protect”), from dē- and a simple verb “*fendō” “to strike”, found only in compounds (see offense).[2][3][4][5][6] The sense “to forbid”, found in Late Latin legal use, is peculiar to Gallo-Romance, Italian is thought to have borrowed it from there.[3][4] Rey connects “*fendō” with Sanskrit हन्ति (hánti, “he strikes”) and Ancient Greek θείνω (theínō, “to strike”).[3]

Cognate with Italian difendere, Catalan defendre, Spanish defender and Portuguese defender; English defend was borrowed from French in the 14th century.[7][8]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Passion of Clermont (late 10th century) has the reflexive se défendre “to protect oneself against”; in the Chanson de Roland (about 1100) it means to protect someone against an attack, to hold a town against the enemy, and also to forbid.[2][3]

Semantic evolution

In the mid-12th century se défendre meant to deny an accusation (Laws of William the Conqueror), and se défendre de later “to refrain from”.[2][3] The legal sense “to defend someone in court” is in Amyot (1559), and the familiar se défendre “to manage, hold one's own” is from 1920.[2] À son corps défendant, first “in self-defence”, now means “reluctantly”.[9]

The meaning “to forbid” (défendre à qqn de) is as old as the protective one; in Belgian French one défend a thesis where France says soutenir.[2][3]

Timeline

  • late 10th century – Se défendre, Passion.[2]
  • c. 1100 – “To protect” and “to forbid”, Chanson de Roland.[2]
  • mid-12th century – Se défendre “to deny”.[2]
  • 1283 – The derivative défendeur “defendant”, Beaumanoir.[4]
  • 1559 – To defend in court, Amyot.[2]
  • 1920 – Se défendre “to manage”.[2]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To defend, protect: défendre son pays, défendre chèrement sa vie.[7][1]
  2. To defend, uphold (an opinion, a person): défendre une cause, (law) to defend (an accused).[7][2]
  3. To forbid: défendre à qqn de sortir, il est défendu de fumer.[1][2]
  4. Se défendre: to defend oneself, se défendre de, to deny, refrain from, (familiar) to hold one's own, manage.[2][7]

Word family

  • défendable
  • indéfendable
  • défendeur

References

  1. ^ a b c d 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 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. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 3, 28b
  7. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  8. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  9. ^ Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse