fautif

Forms

fautif (feminine fautive, masculine plural fautifs, feminine plural fautives)^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from French faute + -if in the 15th century.^[2][3][4][1] Faute goes back to Vulgar Latin *fallita (“a lack, failing”), the feminine of *fallitus used as a noun, which replaced classical Latin falsus, the past participle of fallō (“to deceive”).^[3] Littré notes that 16th-century writers used faultier rather than this word.^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Its first record, before 1475, is in Chastellain’s Pas de la mort: sa vie fautive.^[2] Rey takes the first sense to be “liable to fail or err” (1440–1475).^[6][7]

Semantic evolution

Before 1589 (Jean-Antoine de Baïf) it was applied to a person who is at fault, a sense in which it is less common than coupable.^[6][7] From 1676 (Félibien) it also described things that contain mistakes or flaws.^[6][7] The old sense “liable to err” was still current in the Académie’s dictionary of 1694.^[7] The adverb fautivement (1823) is literary.^[6][2]

Timeline

• Before 1475 – Chastellain writes sa vie fautive.^[2]
• Before 1589 – Baïf uses it of a person at fault.^[7][6]
• 1676 – Félibien applies it to things containing errors.^[7][6]
• 1823 – The adverb fautivement appears in Las Cases.^[2]

Meanings

Adjective

1. (archaic) Liable to err, fallible.^[8][5][7]
2. Of a person, at fault, guilty: il se sentait fautif; as a noun, le fautif is the one to blame.^[8][1]
3. Of a thing, containing errors or flaws, faulty, incorrect: une citation fautive.^[8][5][1]

Word family

• fautivement

Related words

• faute
• fauter
• faillir

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e 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 Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
4. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
6. ^ a b c d e f Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
7. ^ 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
8. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert