Etymologically
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exploser

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Pronunciation

  • /ɛk.splo.ze/[1]

Forms

exploser[1]

Etymology

It is from French explosion + -er: the verb ending was added to the stem of the noun.[2][3][4][5] The noun (1581) is borrowed from Latin explōsiō (“driving off by clapping, hissing”), from explōdō (“to drive off by clapping, hiss off the stage”), formed from ex- and plaudō (“to beat, clap”), which also gave applaudir.[2][6][5] Rey calls the Latin verb for clapping a word of unknown origin.[6] The noun had taken the sense “bursting with force” in 1701, a century before the verb.[2][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

Mercier records it in his Néologie (1801), meaning “to burst with force”.[2][3]

Semantic evolution

The verb remained rare until Bescherelle recorded it in 1849, and Larousse in 1906; it spread only at the beginning of the 20th century, especially in figurative uses.[3][4][6] From the early 20th century it was said of anger and other feelings that break out suddenly, and of a person who cannot contain themselves.[4][6] A literary transitive use, “to let (one's anger) burst out”, appears in Alphonse Daudet at the end of the 19th century, and the slang exploser quelqu'un, “to smash someone, beat someone up”, was noted in 1981.[4][6] The Petit Robert also records the sense “to grow suddenly and widely”, of sales or prices.[7]

Timeline

  • 1581 – The noun explosion, in medicine.[2][6]
  • 1701 – Explosion “bursting with force” (Furetière).[2]
  • 1801 – Mercier's Néologie records exploser.[2][3]
  • 1849 – Bescherelle records the verb.[3][4]
  • 1906 – Larousse records it.[4]
  • Early 20th century – The figurative senses spread.[4][6]
  • 1981 – Slang exploser quelqu'un.[6]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To explode, burst violently, often throwing out fragments (of a bomb, a shell, gas); faire exploser, to blow up.[7][8][2]
  2. (figurative) Of a feeling: to break out suddenly and violently.[7][9]
  3. Of a person: to lose one's temper, burst out, exploser de rire, to burst out laughing.[7][4][1]
  4. To grow suddenly and sharply (sales, prices, numbers).[7][1]
  5. (slang, transitive) To smash, beat up (someone).[6]
  • explosif
  • explosion
  • explosible
  • applaudir
  • Latin explōdō

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 Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  5. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  7. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  8. ^ Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
  9. ^ Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)