frapper

Pronunciation

• IPA: /fʁa.pe/^[1]

Forms

frapper^[1] Old French fraper, frapper from the 14th century.^[2][1]

Etymology

It is most probably formed on an imitative base “frap-” expressing a sudden violent blow, as the TLFi, Bloch and Wartburg, the GLLF and the Petit Robert hold.^{[3][4][2][5][6]} The Grand Robert and Wiktionary derive it instead from Frankish *hrapōn (“to snatch”), the source also of German raffen, and Rey gives this Frankish origin first, calling the imitative one rather arbitrary.^[7][1][8] Littré preferred a link with Dutch flappen (“to slap”).^[9]

The nautical sense “to make fast” (1678) is borrowed from English frap (1548), of the same imitative origin.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found in 1178 in the Roman de Renart, meaning to give someone blows.^[3][8]

Semantic evolution

In Old French the reflexive se frapper often meant “to rush, dash forward”, and in the 15th century it was used of an epidemic breaking out: En l'ost du roy s'estoit frappée une maladie.^[4][8][9] Frappé de peste is recorded before 1590 and frapper à mort in Voltaire (1756).^[3][8] From 1580 it meant “to impress itself on (someone)”, as in frapper de stupeur (1669); se frapper “to worry” is mostly negative, as in sans se frapper (1865).^[8]

Technical senses include striking coins (Monet, 1636), beating the weft in weaving (1690) and chilling a drink with ice: champagne frappé de glace is found in 1813.^[3][8] In the theatre frapper les trois coups signals the rise of the curtain (1865).^[8]

Timeline

• 1178 – “To give blows”, in the Roman de Renart.^[3]
• 15th century – Se frapper, of an epidemic.^[8][9]
• before 1590 – Frappé de peste.^[3]
• 1636 – Frapper de la monnaie.^[3]
• 1678 – The nautical sense, from English.^[3]
• 1813 – Champagne frappé de glace.^[3]
• 1865 – Frapper les trois coups, sans se frapper.^[8]

Meanings

Verb

1. To hit, strike: frapper quelqu'un au visage.^[5][10]
2. To knock: frapper à la porte.^[1][11]
3. (of illness, misfortune or punishment) To strike: frappé par la maladie, frapper d'une amende.^[1][8]
4. To strike, impress: cela m'a frappé.^[8]
5. To mint: frapper monnaie.^[8][3]
6. To chill (a drink) with ice: champagne frappé.^[3][8]
7. (nautical) To make fast (a rope).^[11][8]
8. (familiar) Se frapper: to worry: ne te frappe pas.^[8]

Word family

• frappe
• frappé
• frappeur
• refrapper

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l 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
4. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
5. ^ a b Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 3, 762b
7. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
9. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
10. ^ Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)
11. ^ a b Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)