dire

Pronunciation

• IPA: /diʁ/^[1]
• IPA (Quebec): /d͡ziʁ/^[1]

Forms

dire^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French dire, inherited from Latin dīcō (“to say, speak; to name; to plead”).^[2][3][4][1] The Latin verb contains the Indo-European root Proto-Indo-European *deyḱ- (“to show”), seen in Ancient Greek δείκνυμι (deíknumi, “to show”) and German zeigen.^[5][6][7] Unlike its relatives in other languages, it was specialized in Italy, in Latin and in Oscan and Umbrian, in the sense “to show or make known by speech”.^[5] Like ōrō, “dīcere” was at first a solemn, technical word of religion and law, used of magistrates; in common speech it lost this character and came to mean simply “to tell, to relate”.^[5]

Cognate with Romanian zice, Italian dire, Occitan dire, Catalan dir, Spanish decir and Portuguese dizer.^[6][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

The verb is first recorded about 980, in the Valenciennes fragment and the Passion de Clermont, for “to express in words”, introducing both direct and indirect speech, and in the sense “to assert, maintain”.^[2][5]

Semantic evolution

By the 11th century dire had all the senses of the Latin verb.^[5] From the first texts it also meant “to relate, tell”, “to call, name” and “to recite”, sometimes with the old solemn value, as in dire la messe (about 1050).^[5][2] With a clause introduced by que it meant “to order” about 1100, and with de and an infinitive in Molière (1673).^[2] The imperative dis as a mere call for attention is recorded by Nicot (1606); Old French had the exclamation diva, from di and va.^[2][8] The past participle dit “called, nicknamed” dates from 1690.^[2]

The old phrase (être) à dire “to be missing” gave the verb adirer “to mislay”, still used in law.^[8][7] The infinitive became a noun, le dire “what someone states”, about 1223.^[4] On-dit “rumour” dates from the late 18th century and qu'en-dira-t-on from the late 17th.^[8]

Timeline

• c. 980 – Dire in the Valenciennes fragment and the Passion de Clermont.^[2]
• c. 1050 – Dire la messe.^[5]
• c. 1100 – Dire que “to order” in the Chanson de Roland.^[2]
• c. 1223 – The infinitive used as a noun.^[4]
• 1233 – Diseur “speaker”.^[8]
• 1606 – Nicot records dis as a mere call.^[2]
• 1690 – Dit “called” in Furetière.^[2]

Meanings

Verb

1. To say, to tell: to express in words: dire la vérité.^[1][9]
2. To tell (someone to do something), to order: il m'a dit de partir.^[1][2]
3. To say in writing; to state: la loi dit que….^[1]
4. To recite, to deliver: dire un poème, dire la messe.^[1][5]
5. To mean, to signify: qu'est-ce que ce mot veut dire ?.^[1]
6. On dirait: it looks like, it seems: on dirait qu'il va pleuvoir.^[1]
7. To call, to name: un homme dit le Juste.^[2]
8. Se dire: to be said (of a word or phrase); to claim to be.^[1]

Noun

1. (usually plural) What someone states: selon ses dires.^[6]
2. (law) A statement submitted by a party to experts.^[6]

Word family

• maudire
• médire
• susdit
• diseur
• dédire
• redire
• on-dit

Related words

• diction
• indicible
• dicton
• contredire
• prédire
• Latin dīcō

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k 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, 67b
4. ^ a b c Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ a b c d e f g h Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, 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 c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
8. ^ a b c d Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
9. ^ Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse