départir

Forms

départir^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from French dé- + partir, the verb in its old sense “to share out, to separate”, which survives only in the phrase avoir maille à partir.^[2][3][4][5] The simple verb goes back to Latin partior (“to share, divide”), used in popular Latin with active endings.^[6]

Wiktionary also allows inheritance from Late Latin departiō, from dē and partiō.^[1] Cognate with Old Occitan departir, Spanish despartir and Italian spartire.^[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

Its first record, about 1050 in the Vie de saint Alexis, means “to share out, divide”: the saint has given away all his wealth (Quant sun aver lur ad tot departit).^[2][3][5]

Semantic evolution

In Old French the verb meant to divide or share, and also to separate one thing from another; the Chanson de Roland uses it of the soul parting from the body, and intransitively of leaving.^[2][3][5][7] The sense “to allot, give as a share” is found in Chrétien de Troyes (1177).^[2]

Its use then narrowed.^[3] “To share out” gave way to répartir, “to separate” survives only in hunting, of a hound leaving the herd, and “to go away” only in the noun départ.^[3] “To allot” lives on in literary style and in the legal phrase départir des causes, the sharing out of cases among judges.^[3][2][7] The commonest use today is the pronominal se départir de “to give up, abandon”, recorded from the second half of the 14th century in Eustache Deschamps.^[2][3]

In Louisiana French se départir still means “to leave”.^[1]

Timeline

• c. 1050 – The Vie de saint Alexis uses departir for “to share out, divide”.^[2][3]
• c. 1100 – The Chanson de Roland uses it for “to separate” the soul from the body.^[2][7]
• 1177 – Chrétien de Troyes uses it for “to allot, give”.^[2]
• 2nd half of the 14th century – Eustache Deschamps uses the pronominal for “to renounce”.^[2][3]
• 1870 – The legal noun départiteur is recorded.^[2][3]

Meanings

Verb

1. (literary) To allot, grant as a share (gifts, a task, a favour): les talents que la nature lui a départis.^[8][2][5]
2. (obsolete) To distribute, share out.^[2][1][7]
3. (law) Départir des causes: to share out cases among judges.^[2][7]
4. Se départir de: to abandon, give up (especially an attitude): elle ne se départit jamais de son sourire.^[8][1]
5. (Louisiana, reflexive) To depart, leave.^[1]

Word family

• départ
• départiteur

Related words

• partir
• répartir
• départager

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g 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 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 c d Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
6. ^ Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
7. ^ a b c d e f 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