démolir

Forms

démolir^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin dēmōlior (“to throw down, pull down”).^[2][3][1] The Latin verb is formed from dē- “down” and mōlior (“to strive to move something heavy, to build”), derived from mōlēs (“mass, structure”).^[3][4][5] A present participle demoliant found in 1383 may be an earlier record;^[2][3][6] Bloch and Wartburg date the verb from that year.^[2][3][6]

Cognate with Walloon dimoûre, Occitan demolhir, Spanish demolir and Italian demolire.^[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

In 1458 Arnoul Gréban's Mystère de la Passion uses it in the sense of taking down a building piece by piece.^[2][3]

Semantic evolution

The verb had its concrete sense from the start and was used figuratively as early as the 15th century, as in Gringore, where an illness destroys the body.^[2][3] In the 19th century it took the abstract sense “to ruin, overthrow” a doctrine (1826, Lamennais) and, in familiar use, “to knock out” an opponent (1801) and “to kill” (1833, Mérimée).^[2][3] Littré also records it as a naval term for breaking up a ship that is out of service.^[7]

Its derivative démolisseur is recorded in 1547 but was rare before Voltaire and d'Alembert used it figuratively in the 1760s;^[3][6] démolissage dates from 1882.^[2] The noun démolition was borrowed separately, in the 14th century, from Latin dēmōlītiō.^[3][6]

Timeline

• 1383 – A present participle demoliant appears in the Reims archives.^[2][6]
• 1458 – Arnoul Gréban uses it of pulling down a building.^[2]
• 1547 – First record of démolisseur.^[3][6]
• 1801 – Familiar use “to knock out, overwhelm (someone)”.^[3]
• 1826 – Lamennais uses it of ruining a doctrine.^[2][3]
• 1833 – Mérimée uses it in the popular sense “to kill”.^[2][3]
• 1882 – Démolissage appears in the Goncourts' Journal.^[2]

Meanings

Verb

1. To demolish or pull down a building by knocking down its parts: démolir une vieille grange.^[8][2]
2. To smash an object or make it unusable.^[5]
3. (figurative) To destroy completely, to ruin a doctrine, a system or someone's reputation.^[8][7]
4. (familiar) To beat up, to knock out an opponent, also to wear out someone's health.^[7][3]
5. (slang) To kill.^[2][1]

Word family

• démolisseur
• démolissage

Related words

• démolition
• Latin dēmōlior

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 n 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 j k l m n Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
6. ^ a b c d e f Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
7. ^ a b c d Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
8. ^ a b Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert