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déifier

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Etymology and origin of the French word déifier

Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
1300s early 14th century, Jean Chapuis, Trésor More words from the 13th century
Borrowed from
Latin deifico
Ultimate origin
Latin deus

Pronunciation

Forms

déifier[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Late Latin deificō (“to make divine”), a Christian Latin verb formed from deus (“god”) and the combining form of faciō (“to make, do”).[2][3][4][5] Littré compares Occitan deificar, Spanish deificar and Italian deificare.[6] The noun déification was borrowed separately from Latin deificātiō in 1375.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The TLFi and the DHLF date the first record to the early 14th century, as the feminine past participle deifiée used as a synonym of divine, in the Trésor edited with the Roman de la Rose.[2][3] Littré quotes the line Ô saincte ame deifiée (“O holy deified soul”) from it under the name of Jean de Meun, and the GLLF dates the word to about 1265 for the same author.[6][7][4]

Semantic evolution

The verb itself, meaning “to honour as a god”, is not recorded before Montaigne in 1595,[2][3] though the Grand Robert dates the active form to 1593 and the GLLF to 1580.[5][7] In Christian language it also means to make a person share in the divine nature.[2] In formal usage it took the weakened figurative sense “to venerate, to hold very high”.[3][7]

English deify was borrowed from the Old French verb in the 14th century; its sense “to adore” dates from the 1580s.[8]

Timeline

  • Early 14th century – The past participle deifiée appears in the Trésor.[2][3]
  • 1375 – The noun déification is borrowed.[3]
  • 1595 – Montaigne uses deifier “to honour as a god”.[2][3]
  • 1884 – The derivative déificateur appears.[3]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To deify: to raise to the rank of a god, to regard as a divinity: Les Égyptiens déifiaient certains animaux.[2][9][10]
  2. (Christianity) To make share in the divine nature.[2]
  3. (figurative) To make an object of worship, to idolize: Cette génération a déifié la vitesse.[9][11][7]
  4. (reflexive) se déifier: to make oneself a god.[6]

Word family

  • déificateur

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h 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 g h i Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  5. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  6. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  7. ^ a b c d Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  8. ^ Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  9. ^ a b Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  10. ^ Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
  11. ^ Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Déifier.” Etymologically, 15 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/d%C3%A9ifier. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

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