détenir

Forms

détenir^[1] Old French detenir.^[1][2]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin dētineō (“to hold off, detain, keep occupied”), adapted in form to tenir.^[3][4][5][1] The Latin verb is a compound of dē- and teneō (“to hold”).^[4][6] Bloch and Wartburg point to the prefix, pronounced /de/ and not /də/, as showing the borrowing.^[5] Littré compares Occitan detener, Spanish detener and Italian ditenere.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Wace's Roman de Rou (1160–1174) has it in the sense “to seize”.^[3][4] The GLLF finds an earlier pronominal use, “to hold oneself back”, in the Vie de saint Gilles (about 1138).^[6][7]

Semantic evolution

Before the end of the 12th century it meant “to keep, hold back”, of a person (1176, Chrétien de Troyes's Cligès) and of a thing (1176–1181).^[3][4] From 1306 (Joinville) it was used specially of holding someone prisoner.^[3][4] The past participle détenu became an adjective in 1529 and a noun for a prisoner in 1826.^[4][3] The related détenteur (1320) and détention (1287) were borrowed from Late Latin legal words formed on the supine of detinere.^[4]

Timeline

• 1160–1174 – Wace uses it for “to seize”.^[3][4]
• 1176 – Chrétien de Troyes uses it for keeping a person.^[3][4]
• 1287 – The related noun detencion is recorded.^[4]
• 1306 – Joinville uses it for holding a prisoner.^[3][4]
• 1826 – Détenu is recorded as a noun.^[3][4]

Meanings

Verb

1. To have in one's possession, hold: détenir des bijoux volés.^[8][1]
2. To have or hold something abstract, such as power, a secret or a record.^[8][1]
3. (law) To detain, hold someone in custody or captivity.^[8][1]
4. (dated) To keep someone back against their will.^[6]

Word family

• codétenu

Related words

• détention
• détenu
• détenteur
• tenir

References

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