Etymologically
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détester

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /de.tɛs.te/[1]

Forms

détester[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin dētestor (“to call the gods to witness against, to curse; to abhor”).[2][3][4][5][6][1] In religious Latin it meant to turn something away by invoking the gods with imprecations, and in law to renounce solemnly before witnesses; it is from dē- and testor (“to call to witness”) (see tester), from testis (“witness”), and contrasts with attestor and “obtestor”.[3][5][4] Littré gives its first sense as rejecting a charge on oath.[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

The TLFi dates it to Villon's Testament (1461), meaning “to curse”, but a past participle detestee “abhorred” is found in a translation of Ramon Lull at the end of the 13th century.[2][8][5]

Semantic evolution

Like other verbs of strong feeling it was weakened and secularised: “to curse” lasted until the 17th century, while “to dislike” appears about 1550 (Amyot) and became dominant in the 17th century.[3][4][9] By litotes ne pas détester means to rather like.[3] English detest came into English in the 1530s from French.[10]

Timeline

  • late 13th century – Detestee, in a translation of Lull.[8]
  • 1461 – “To curse”, Villon.[2]
  • mid-16th century – “To dislike”, Amyot.[9]
  • 1580 – Not to be able to bear, Montaigne.[9]
  • 17th century – “To curse” goes out of use.[3]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To hate, detest: détester le mensonge, se détester.[11][1]
  2. To be unable to bear: je déteste attendre.[9][7]
  3. Ne pas détester: to quite like.[3][9]
  4. (obsolete) To curse.[11][2]

Word family

  • détestable
  • détestation

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d 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 Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b c Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  5. ^ a b c Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 3, 57a
  7. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  8. ^ a b Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF
  9. ^ a b c d e Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  10. ^ Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  11. ^ a b Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert