exploiter

Forms

exploiter^[1] Old French espleitier and esploitier;^[2][3][4] exploitier about 1283 in Beaumanoir, exploiter from the 14th century.^[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French espleitier, inherited from Vulgar Latin *explicitō (“to accomplish”), later “to work, make productive”, formed on Latin explicitum, the past participle of explicō (“to unfold, accomplish”).^[5][4][2][1] The modern form, with ⟨x⟩, is a remaking of the Old French verb after the Latin verb.^[5][6][3] The noun exploit has the same origin.^[6][7]

The word is only Gallo-Romance: Old Occitan had esplechar “to accomplish, enjoy”, and Catalan espletar is related.^[6][8] Wiktionary calls it a doublet of expliciter.^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Chanson de Roland (about 1100) has espleiter “to accomplish, carry out”, and about 1140 the Voyage de Charlemagne uses sun jur espleiter for finishing the day's ploughing.^[5][4]

Semantic evolution

The first senses, accomplishing and finishing work, disappeared before the classical period.^[4] From the 13th century the verb meant to turn a thing to account (about 1274), especially a farm, an industry or a business.^[5][4] In law it meant “to seize” (1332) and, used intransitively, “to serve a writ” (1560), uses now gone.^[5][4]

About 1778, with Rousseau, it took the abstract sense of using something to the best advantage, a talent or an idea.^[4][3] From this came the pejorative “to use someone for profit, regardless of the means” (1810, Madame de Staël) and in particular “to exploit workers” (1840, Proudhon), spread by Marxist theory together with exploitation.^[5][4]

Timeline

• c. 1100 – Espleiter “to accomplish” in the Chanson de Roland.^[5]
• c. 1140 – Sun jur espleiter “to finish the day's ploughing”.^[5]
• c. 1274 – Used for turning a thing to account.^[5][4]
• c. 1283 – Beaumanoir writes exploitier.^[3][2]
• 1332 – Esploittier “to seize” in law.^[5]
• 1560 – Pasquier uses it for serving a writ.^[5]
• c. 1778 – Rousseau uses it for making the most of something.^[4][3]
• 1810 – Madame de Staël uses it for using a person for profit.^[5]
• 1840 – Proudhon uses it for exploiting workers.^[5][3]

Meanings

Verb

1. To work or run something for its yield or profit: exploiter un vignoble, exploiter une ligne d'autobus.^[9][10][11]
2. To use something to the best advantage, to make the most of: il a exploité l'erreur de son adversaire.^[9][10]
3. To exploit a person, using them only for profit, especially by paying them as little as possible.^[9][5]

Word family

• exploitant
• exploitable
• inexploité

Related words

• exploit
• exploitation
• exploité
• exploiteur
• expliquer
• expliciter
• Latin explicō

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d 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 d e f g h i j k Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n 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 Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
7. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 3, 312a
8. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
9. ^ a b c Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)
10. ^ a b Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
11. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette