fragmentaire

Forms

fragmentaire (plural fragmentaires)^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from French fragment + -aire.^[2][3][4]

The noun is a learned refashioning (about 1500) of the older form frament, borrowed from Latin fragmentum (“a piece of a broken object”), which comes from fragmen (“splinter, debris”), from frangō (“to break”).^[5][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found in 1801 in Villers's book on Kant, in the sense “existing in the form of fragments”.^[2][6][5]

Semantic evolution

From 1801 the adjective described what exists only as fragments.^[5][6] Since 1918 it has also described what proceeds by fragments, little by little, and it usually implies that something is incomplete, much like lacunaire.^[5][6] The adverb fragmentairement appears in 1840.^[2][5][7]

Timeline

• c. 1500 – The base fragment takes its learned form.^[5][4]
• 1801 – Fragmentaire appears in Villers's work on Kant.^[2][6]
• 1840 – The adverb fragmentairement is recorded.^[2][5]
• 1918 – It is used of what proceeds by fragments.^[5]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Existing only in fragments, not as a whole: des fresques fragmentaires.^[7][2][6]
2. Covering only part of something, incomplete or partial: une connaissance fragmentaire du dossier.^[8][9][6]
3. Coming or proceeding little by little, by fragments.^[2][6]

Word family

• fragmentairement

Related words

• fragment
• fragmenter
• fragmentation
• Latin fragmentum

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g 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. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
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 d e f g h Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ 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
7. ^ a b 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)