divertir

Forms

divertir^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Late Latin dīvertō (“to turn aside, separate, differ”), with a change of conjugation, as in convertir.^[2][3][4] The Latin verb is formed from dis- (“apart”) and vertō (“to turn”).^[3][5][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found in 1370–1380, in a French translation of Ovid's Remedia amoris, meaning “to turn someone away from something”.^[2][3]

Semantic evolution

Like distraire, it first meant “to turn aside”: in the 16th century Marot writes of springs that are dried up and diverties, and Amyot writes of people who divertissoient l'eau publique at Athens.^[3][7] Bloch and Wartburg note that the sense “turn aside” lasted to the end of the 16th century.^[4] The same idea, applied to goods, gave the legal sense “to misappropriate”, still used of the assets of an estate.^[8][7]

Applied to the mind, it meant “to turn someone's thoughts elsewhere”, first without any idea of fun (Montaigne, 1580, divertir de l'ennuy, 1608).^[3][2][6] This sense yielded to distraire, and the verb kept the sense “to amuse” (se divertir, 1633, Corneille).^[3][2] The noun divertissement (1494) went the same way, from “misappropriation” to “turning away from what occupies one”, the sense Pascal made famous, and then “amusement”.^[3][4]

English divert (early 15th century) comes partly from the Old French verb.^[9]

Timeline

• 1370–1380 – First record, in a translation of Ovid, meaning “to turn someone away from something”.^[2][3]
• 1494 – The noun divertissement appears, meaning “misappropriation”.^[3]
• Early 15th century – English borrows the verb as diverten.^[9]
• 1580 – Montaigne uses it of turning the mind away from its cares.^[6][3]
• 1608 – Schelandre writes divertir de l'ennuy.^[2]
• 1633 – Corneille uses se divertir “to amuse oneself”.^[2][3]
• 1637 – The adjective divertissant is recorded.^[3]

Meanings

Verb

1. To amuse, to entertain, to give pleasure by distracting, as in ce film a beaucoup diverti les enfants.^[8][1]
2. Se divertir: to amuse oneself, to have a good time.^[2][7]
3. (dated) To turn someone away from what occupies him, to distract.^[8][1]
4. (law) To misappropriate money or goods, especially from an estate.^[8][2]
5. (obsolete) To turn aside, to divert something or someone.^[8][7]

Word family

• divertissement
• divertissant
• divertisseur

Related words

• convertir
• distraire
• Latin vertō
• English divert

References

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