dilater

Forms

dilater^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin dīlātō (“to widen, spread out”),^[2][3][4][5] formed from dis- and lātus (“wide”).^[3][6][7] The Robert dictionaries date the borrowing to 1361.^[6][8]

Cognate with Italian dilatare, Spanish dilatar and Occitan dilatar.^[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

Oresme introduced it in 1377, in his Livre du ciel et du monde, both in the physical sense, des corps se dilatent “bodies expand”, and figuratively.^[2][3]

Semantic evolution

The word was introduced by scholars with both its literal and its figurative sense.^[3] In the 16th century Calvin used it of spreading or enlarging, and Paré of widening a passage of the body.^[9][7] The pronominal se dilater “to expand” under heat is recorded by Furetière in 1690.^[9] Figuratively, joy dilate le cœur, fills and opens the heart.^[8][7]

The present participle dilatant became a surgical noun in 1754.^[2][3] Related words came in from the 16th century: dilatable, dilatabilité (1731) and the anatomical dilatateur (1611).^[3]

Timeline

• 1377 – Oresme uses it of bodies that expand and figuratively.^[2][3]
• 1541 – Calvin uses it in the sense “to spread, enlarge”.^[9][7]
• c. 1560 – Paré uses it of widening a body passage.^[9]
• 1690 – Furetière records se dilater “to expand”.^[9]
• 1754 – Dilatant is a surgical noun in the Encyclopédie.^[2][3]

Meanings

Verb

1. To expand, increase the volume of something, especially by heat, as in La chaleur dilate les rails du chemin de fer.^[8][10][9]
2. To widen an opening or a passage of the body: to dilate the pupil or an artery.^[8][9][1]
3. (figurative) To fill with joy, make the heart swell.^[8][7]
4. Se dilater: to expand, swell.^[8][9]

Word family

• dilatable
• dilatabilité
• dilatateur
• dilatant

Related words

• dilatation
• Latin dīlātō

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e 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 Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
5. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 3, 79b
6. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
7. ^ a b c d e f Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
8. ^ a b c d e f Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
9. ^ a b c d e f g h Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
10. ^ Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)