dégorger

Forms

dégorger^[1] Middle French desgorger.^[1][2]

Etymology

It is formed from French dé- + gorge with the verb ending -er,^[3][4][2][5] the opposite of engorger;^[6] Wiktionary analyses it as dé- and gorger, through Middle French desgorger.^[1] The prefix goes back to dis-.^[6] The base noun is from Vulgar Latin *gurga, from classical gurges (“whirlpool, abyss”).^[7][8]

Earliest recorded meaning

It first appears in 1299 as a reflexive verb, se dégorger, said of a river or stream that pours out its waters.^[6][9]

Semantic evolution

In Old French the transitive verb meant “to say what one has long kept silent” (about 1300), which led to “to chatter” (about 1530) and “to sing” (about 1560).^[9][3] From 1501 it was used of a container or a body that lets out what it holds, “to bring up, vomit”;^[6][9] Montaigne (1580) applied it figuratively to pouring out what one has crammed in,^[6] and La Bruyère (1688) to a place emptying of its people.^[6] In 1575 Paré speaks of making leeches dégorger, that is, empty themselves.^[6]

Cotgrave (1611) records the senses “to empty, unblock” and “to rid (something) of foreign matter”, which gave many technical uses: unblocking a pipe or a drain, cleaning leather or wool.^[6][9][2] The intransitive use, “to overflow, pour out”, dates from the 16th century.^[9][5] In cooking, faire dégorger is said of cucumbers or snails left to give out their water.^[10] In winemaking the verb is used for removing the deposit from sparkling wines, recorded by the TLFi in 1909.^[11][5]

Timeline

• 1299 – Se dégorger is said of a stream pouring out its waters.^[6][9]
• c. 1300 – The transitive verb means “to tell what one has kept silent”.^[9]
• 1501 – First record of the sense “to bring up, vomit”.^[6][4]
• 1548 – The derivative dégorgement is recorded.^[9][7]
• 1575 – Paré speaks of making leeches dégorger.^[6]
• 1580 – Montaigne uses it figuratively.^[6][4]
• 1611 – Cotgrave records the senses “to unblock” and “to clean of foreign matter”.^[6][4]
• 1688 – La Bruyère uses it of a place emptying of its people.^[6]

Meanings

Verb

1. (transitive) To let out, discharge (a liquid or other contents): le canal dégorge une eau boueuse.^[5][10][12]
2. (transitive) To unblock, to empty of what blocks it: dégorger une canalisation.^[5][2][10]
3. (technical) To clean (something) of foreign matter, as leather or wool, also to remove the deposit from a sparkling wine.^[5][2]
4. (dated) To bring up, vomit.^[6][4][2]
5. (intransitive) To overflow, to pour out: le ruisseau dégorge dans la rivière.^[5][12]
6. (intransitive) Of a fabric, to lose its dye in the wash.^[5][12]
7. (cooking) Faire dégorger: to let (cucumbers, snails) give out their water.^[10]

Word family

• dégorgement
• dégorgeoir

Related words

• gorge
• gorger
• engorger
• regorger
• égorger

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
3. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c d e Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
5. ^ 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
6. ^ 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
7. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
8. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 4, 335b
9. ^ a b c d e f g h Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
10. ^ a b c d Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)
11. ^ Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF
12. ^ a b c Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)