dérailler

Forms

dérailler^[1] First recorded as derayer (1838); the spelling dérailler appears in 1842.^[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is formed from French dé- + rail + -er, “to go off the rails”.^[2][4][5] Rail (1817) is from English rail, which itself continues Old French reille “bar, rail”, from Latin rēgula (“rule, bar”).^[6][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first recorded in 1838 as derayer in the Commerce de Lyon, meaning “to leave the rails”, and as dérailler in the Journal des chemins de fer in 1842.^[2][3]

Semantic evolution

Early on it took the figurative sense “to go astray, go wrong”, of a gesture or a voice (1856; the TLFi has 1858, in the Goncourts' journal), then “to depart from the norm” (1890) and “to behave or talk irrationally, to be a little mad”.^[3][2][4] By analogy it is used of a bicycle chain slipping off its sprocket, and familiarly of a machine that works badly.^[2][7]

The verb gave déraillement (1839) and dérailleur (1911), the gear-changing device of a bicycle.^[3] English derail is recorded from 1850, from the French verb.^[8]

Timeline

• 1817 – Rail is borrowed from English.^[6][2]
• 1838 – First record, as derayer.^[2][5]
• 1839 – The noun déraillement appears.^[3]
• 1842 – The spelling dérailler appears in the Journal des chemins de fer.^[2][3]
• 1850 – English derail is recorded.^[8]
• 1856 – The figurative sense “to go wrong” appears.^[3][4]
• 1890 – It means “to depart from the norm”.^[3]
• 1911 – dérailleur is formed.^[3]

Meanings

Verb

1. Of a train or carriage, to leave the rails, to derail: le convoi a déraillé près de la gare.^[7][9][10]
2. Of a bicycle chain, to come off the sprocket; also, to change gear with the derailleur.^[7][2]
3. (figurative) To go wrong, go off course.^[7][5]
4. (familiar) To talk or behave irrationally, to be off one's head: tu dérailles complètement.^[7][5][1]
5. (familiar) Of a machine, to work badly.^[2]

Word family

• déraillement
• dérailleur

Related words

• rail
• English derail

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 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 c d 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. ^ a b 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 Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
8. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
9. ^ Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
10. ^ Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)