destituer

Forms

destituer^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin dēstituō (“to set apart, abandon, do away with”), borrowed in 1322.^[2][3][4] The Latin verb is formed from dē- and statuō (“to set up, establish”), the source of statuer.^[4][5][6] Rey gives the Latin senses as “to stand apart, alone”, figuratively “to abandon (someone)”, “to set aside, suppress” and “to disappoint, deceive”.^[4]

Littré compares Occitan destituir and Spanish destituir.^[7] The noun destitution was borrowed separately, from Latin dēstitūtiō (“abandonment”), in 1316, before the verb.^[4][8]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record, in a royal ordinance of 1322, uses it of coins in the sense “to depreciate”: bad money brought into the kingdom had caused the king's own coins to be destituées et gastées.^[2][7] Bloch and Wartburg and the Grand Robert give the sense of this first use as “to set aside”.^[8][5]

Semantic evolution

In the 14th century the verb also meant “to deprive (someone) of a support or a resource”, its usual sense until the 17th century.^[4][8] It is found with this sense in Rabelais in 1534,^[6] and Racine and Pascal still wrote destitué de “deprived of”.^[6] The Latin sense “to revoke, abolish (an office)” is recorded in 1350.^[2][4]

The modern sense, “to remove (someone) from a post or office”, appears in letters patent of 1482.^[2][7] Bloch and Wartburg and Rey call it an innovation of French, not found in Latin.^[8][4] The adjective destituable “removable from office” followed in 1560.^[2][4]

Timeline

• 1316 – The noun destitution is borrowed from Latin.^[4][8]
• 1322 – First record of destituer, “to depreciate” coins, in a royal ordinance.^[2][4]
• 1350 – Gilles le Muisit uses it for abolishing an office.^[2]
• 1482 – Letters patent use it for removing a person from a post.^[2][7]
• 1534 – Rabelais uses it for depriving someone of something.^[6]
• 1560 – The derivative destituable is recorded.^[2]
• 1694 – Destituable is in the first edition of the Académie's dictionary.^[2]

Meanings

Verb

1. To dismiss (someone) from a post, office or rank, to depose: le conseil a destitué le trésorier.^[9][2][6]
2. (law) To remove a guardian from a guardianship.^[9][2]
3. (classical, literary) To deprive (someone) of something: destitué de tout secours.^[6][7]

Word family

• destituable

Related words

• destitution
• statuer
• Latin dēstituō

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l 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. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 3, 56a
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ a b c d e f Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
7. ^ a b c d e Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
8. ^ a b c d e Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
9. ^ a b Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert