exempter

Forms

exempter^[1] Older spelling essenter (1320); exempter is found from the end of the 14th century.^[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is formed from French exempt + -er, from the adjective with the verb ending.^[5][2][1] The adjective is from Latin exemptus, the past participle of eximō (“to take out, free”), a legal term in Latin.^[4] Wiktionary compares Italian esentare.^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first recorded in 1320 in the cartulary of Flines, in the form essenter, meaning to free from an obligation.^[5][2][4]

Semantic evolution

The verb developed alongside the adjective exempt.^[6] In a 14th-century letter of Gregory XI to Charles V the church of Paris was to be exempted from the archbishop of Sens.^[7] In the 17th century it took the literary sense “to spare, to shelter from something”,^[6] and in 1848 (George Sand) it was used for exempting someone from military service.^[3][6] Anglo-Norman exempter is recorded from 1467–68, “to free from an obligation”.^[8]

Timeline

• 1320 – First record, as essenter.^[5][2]
• 1339 – Jean de La Mote uses essenter.^[3]
• late 14th century – The spelling exempter.^[2][3]
• 1467 – Anglo-Norman exempter is recorded.^[8]
• 1611 – Cotgrave glosses it “to exempt, free, discharge”.^[9]
• 1848 – George Sand uses it of military service.^[3][6]

Meanings

Verb

1. To make someone exempt from a charge, duty or tax, to exempt or dispense them: exempter un artisan de la taxe.^[10][3]
2. (dated) To exempt from military service.^[3][10]
3. (literary) To spare or shelter someone from something.^[10][6][7]
4. S'exempter de: to excuse oneself from an obligation.^[7]

Related words

• exempt
• exemption
• Latin eximō

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ a b c d e f g Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
4. ^ a b c Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
5. ^ a b c 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
6. ^ a b c d e Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique 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 Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)
9. ^ Cotgrave, Randle (1611), A Dictionarie of the French and English Tongues, London: Adam Islip
10. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert