frémir

Forms

frémir^[1] Old French fremir, later respelled frémir.^[2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French fremir, inherited from Vulgar Latin *fremiō, an alteration of Latin fremō (“to roar, rumble, murmur”).^[3][2][4][5] The Latin verb passed from the third to the fourth conjugation, and French then built the verb on the inchoative stem with ⟨-iss-⟩, which gives the long stem ⟨frémiss-⟩.^[6][3] Rey calls the Latin word expressive in origin;^[3] Wiktionary traces it to Proto-Indo-European *bʰrem-, and Littré compares Ancient Greek βρέμω (brémō).^[1][6] Old French also had freindre, taken directly from the classical verb of the third conjugation, and a verb fremier of similar meaning that Littré derives from formīcō (“to swarm”).^[6]

Cognate with Italian fremere, fremire, Old Occitan fremir and Portuguese fremir.^[2][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Chanson de Roland (about 1100) it is said of the wind, trees and weapons, meaning “to stir, vibrate, ring out”.^[7][3] The Cambridge Psalter (first half of the 12th century) uses it of people gnashing their teeth in anger, rendering Latin frendebant.^[7]

Semantic evolution

The strong first sense of loud, violent sound has died out.^[3] Said of a person from about 1120, the verb meant to be shaken by trembling, a concrete use that is fairly rare and competes with trembler;^[3] figuratively, from about 1130, it meant to feel a strong emotion such as anger or fear,^[3] and the TLFi records it of convulsive agitation under fear or emotion about 1160.^[7] The construction frémir de is dated about 1190, in Garnier de Pont-Sainte-Maxence.^[8]

In a weaker sense the verb came to mean to move slightly with a faint, confused sound, as leaves do.^[3][9] It was used of a liquid about to boil from the end of the 14th century, in the Ménagier de Paris,^[8][3] and so, in 1721, of cooking something gently: the Trévoux dictionary notes it as a term of confectioners for stewing apricots or pears.^[3][10] A cookery dictionary of 1767 explains it as cooking without boiling.^[10]

The derivatives frémissement (about 1120) and frémissant (1480, at first “resounding”) followed the same development as the verb.^[3]

Timeline

• c. 1100 – Fremir appears in the Chanson de Roland, of the wind and of weapons.^[7]
• c. 1120 – First used of a person shaken by trembling;^[3] frémissement appears the same time.^[3]
• c. 1130 – Used of strong feeling.^[3]
• c. 1160 – The Roman d'Eneas uses it of convulsive agitation under fear.^[7]
• c. 1190 – Garnier de Pont-Sainte-Maxence has frémir de.^[8]
• c. 1398 – The Ménagier de Paris uses it of a liquid being heated.^[8]
• 1480 – Frémissant is recorded, meaning “resounding”.^[3]
• 1721 – The Trévoux dictionary records the cooking sense “to simmer gently”.^[3][10]

Meanings

Verb

1. (intransitive) To quiver or vibrate slightly with a faint, confused sound, as leaves or water do: les feuilles frémissaient sous la brise.^[9][7][11]
2. (cooking) Of a liquid, to be on the point of boiling, to simmer: laissez frémir la sauce.^[9][1]
3. (intransitive) Of a person, to shiver or tremble with cold, fear or emotion: frémir de colère, frémir d'horreur.^[9][7][1]
4. (literary) To feel a strong emotion, to be deeply stirred.^[3][7]

Word family

• frémissement

Related words

• Latin fremō

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 3, 773b
6. ^ a b c d Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
7. ^ 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
8. ^ a b c d Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
9. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
10. ^ a b c Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF, p. vol. 2
11. ^ Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)