démontrer

Forms

démontrer^[1] Old French demonstrer, demustrer and demostrer.^[2][3][1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle French demonstrer, inherited from Old French demonstrer, inherited from Latin dēmōnstrō (“to show, point out, prove”).^[4][5][1] The Latin verb is formed from dē- and mōnstrō (“to show”).^[2][6] Bloch and Wartburg note that its form followed the development of montrer.^[3]

Cognate with Italian dimostrare, Spanish demostrar, Portuguese demonstrar and Old Occitan demostrar.^[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is the inflected form demonstrat in the Vie de saint Léger (second half of the 10th century), meaning “to show, to make plain”.^[4][2]

Semantic evolution

For a long time the verb meant “to show, point out”, the sense also kept by démonstratif.^[2][3] The intellectual sense “to give proof of something” is found in Old French about 1175, in Guernes de Pont-Sainte-Maxence's life of Thomas Becket, but it spread mainly from the 15th century and drove out the concrete sense.^[4][2][3]

From 1690 (Furetière) a thing can be said to show or reveal something.^[4] The older sense “to teach by showing the things themselves”, as in a lecture on anatomy, is now dated.^[4][7] The learned noun démonstration (about 1225) was borrowed from Latin and replaced Old French demostraison.^[2]

Timeline

• late 10th century – Demonstrat “shows” in the Vie de saint Léger.^[4][2]
• c. 1175 – Demustrer “to prove” in Guernes de Pont-Sainte-Maxence.^[4][2]
• 13th century – The derivative démontrable is recorded.^[3][2]
• 15th century – The sense “to prove” becomes common.^[2][3]
• 1690 – Furetière records a thing as “showing signs” of something.^[4]

Meanings

Verb

1. To establish the truth of something clearly and rigorously, to prove: démontrer une loi de physique.^[8][9][10]
2. (logic, mathematics) To prove by deduction;^[8][10] ce qu'il fallait démontrer (abbreviated C.Q.F.D.) “which was to be proved”.^[8][10]
3. Of a thing: to give evidence of, to reveal: ces chiffres démontrent l'utilité du projet.^[8][4]
4. (dated) To teach by showing the things themselves, to demonstrate (anatomy, for example).^[4][7]

Word family

• démontrable

Related words

• montrer
• démonstration
• démonstratif
• Latin dēmōnstrō

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 Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ 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
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j 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
5. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 3, 38a
6. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
7. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
8. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
9. ^ Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)
10. ^ a b c Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)