enter

Forms

enter^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Vulgar Latin *imputō (“to graft”),^[2][3][4][5] derived from impotus (“graft”), found in the Salic Law, which comes from Ancient Greek ἔμφυτος (émphutos, “implanted”).^[2][4][1] Because the Greek ⟨φ⟩ is rendered by ⟨p⟩ and not ⟨f⟩, the TLFi and Bloch and Wartburg think the word travelled with the practice of grafting from the Greek colonies of Provence, probably before the Romans came to Gaul.^[2][4] Wiktionary stresses that the Vulgar Latin verb is unrelated to Latin imputō (“to reckon”).^[1] The Grand Robert and the Petit Robert instead form it from putō (“to prune”) with the prefix in-, narrowed to “graft” by crossing with the Greek word.^[6][7]

In the south it was later ousted by a derivative of inserō (“to implant”) (Old Occitan insertar), but the French verb came back there with improved grafting.^[4][3] The same Vulgar Latin verb gave German impfen.^[3][8] Littré compares Occitan empeltar and Catalan empeltar.^[9]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first recorded in the late 11th century in the French glosses of Rashi, meaning “to graft”.^[2][3][10]

Semantic evolution

A figurative use, “to implant (a feeling, a quality) in someone”, is found from the first quarter of the 13th century.^[2][3] The back-formed noun ente named a grafted tree (about 1140) and then the graft itself.^[3] Old French also used the verb for setting a precious stone and for patching things together.^[11] From the 16th century enter lost ground to greffer, and it survives mainly in literary use and in technical senses: in carpentry it means to join two pieces of timber end to end (1676, Félibien).^[3][10]

Timeline

• Late 11th century – Rashi's glosses have the verb “to graft”.^[2]
• c. 1140 – The noun ente “grafted tree” is recorded.^[3]
• c. 1192 – First Anglo-Norman record.^[11]
• Early 13th century – First figurative use, in Reclus de Molliens.^[2]
• 16th century – Greffer starts to replace it.^[3]
• 1676 – Félibien records the carpentry sense.^[10][3]
• 1723 – The derivative enture is used of a joint between two timbers.^[2]

Meanings

Verb

1. (dated) To graft (a tree).^[7][12]
2. (figurative, literary) To base or graft one thing onto another: enter sur.^[7][10]
3. (carpentry) To join two pieces of timber end to end.^[7][13][12]

Word family

• ente
• enture

Related words

• greffer

Usage notes

Littré also records a falconry sense, to repair a broken feather of a hawk.^[9]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h 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 Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c d 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. 4, 611a
6. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
7. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
8. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
9. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
10. ^ a b c d Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
11. ^ a b Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)
12. ^ a b Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)
13. ^ Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)