désagréable

Forms

désagréable (plural désagréables)^[1] Old French desagraable.^[2][3] In the 16th century also spelled desaggreable.^[4]

Etymology

It is formed from French dés- + agréable, with the negative prefix.^[2][5][6][3] The base belongs to the family of gré, which goes back to Latin grātum, the neuter of grātus (“pleasing”) used as a noun.^[7]

Compare Catalan desagradable, Spanish desagradable, Portuguese desagradável and Italian sgradevole.^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found as desagraable in Jean de Meun's part of the Roman de la Rose (1275–1280), in the sense “causing a painful or unpleasant impression”.^[2] The GLLF dates the same text to about 1265.^[8]

Semantic evolution

In Middle French the word was used of judgements and events that displeased people: in the 14th century Pierre Bersuire speaks of a sentence si desagreable au pueple “so displeasing to the people”.^[4] In the 16th century Amyot could use it in the sense “blameworthy”.^[4] Classical French had the phrase avoir désagréable “to disapprove of (something)”.^[8]

Beside things that displease, the adjective came to describe people of a difficult temper who show no goodwill to others, the main sense of the Petit Robert today.^[8][6] An older use, “not worthy of being accepted (by a god)”, is labelled dated by the TLFi.^[2]

Timeline

• 1275–1280 – Desagraable “causing a painful impression” in the Roman de la Rose.^[2][5]
• 14th century – Bersuire uses desagreable of a judgement that displeases the people.^[4]
• 16th century – Amyot writes desaggreable in the sense “blameworthy”.^[4]
• 1642 – The noun désagrément is recorded.^[7]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Of a person: unpleasant, rude, behaving in a way that hurts or irritates others: il a été désagréable avec sa voisine.^[6][9][10]
2. Of a thing: disagreeable, causing displeasure or an unpleasant sensation: une odeur désagréable.^[6][10][3]
3. Hard to bear, annoying; also impersonal il est désagréable de “it is unpleasant to”.^[10][9]
4. (dated) Not judged worthy of being accepted.^[2]

Related words

• agréable
• désagrément
• gré
• Latin grātus

References

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