garer

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ɡa.ʁe/^[1]
• IPA: /ɡɑ.ʁe/^[1]

Forms

garer^[1] Varer a (about 1180, an isolated Breton text), guerrer (1415), garrer (1564); garer from the 17th century.^[2][3][4]

Etymology

It was first a word of seamen, which seems to have come inland only in the 15th century, brought to Paris by the sea trade with Normandy.^[2][3][5] It probably comes from Old Norse “*varask” “to be on one's guard” (Old Norse vara (“to warn, protect”)),^[2][3][6][7] related to Germanic “*warôn” “to watch, protect” (German wahren), from an Indo-European root “*wer-” “to take heed” (see garder and garnir).^[3][2] Wiktionary allows Frankish *warōn as well, from Proto-Germanic *warōną.^[1]

P. Guiraud linked it instead with Old Occitan varar (“to launch; to beach (a ship)”), perhaps from Latin vara (“crossbeam”), ships being drawn up on wooden rollers, without excluding a crossing with “garer” “to protect”.^[3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Roman d'Aquin (about 1180, written in Brittany) has the isolated varer a “to defend oneself against”;^[2][3] an ordinance of 1415 has guerrer “to moor (a ship)”.^[2][4]

Semantic evolution

In 1564 garrer meant to bring a boat into a gare or harbour for shelter;^[2][3] a decree of 1585 orders boatmen to garrer leurs batteaux at the Île Notre-Dame.^[8] Se garer was used of a boat drawing aside to let another pass (1611, 1723), and of a train (1865).^[3][2] From 1865 (Littré) one gare a vehicle off the road, the usual modern sense, and se garer “to park” is now everyday.^[2][3][9]

Se garer de “to take care to avoid” goes back to Monet's se varer à un danger (1635), and gave se garer des voitures “to play safe” (early 20th century).^[2][3][6] The noun gare, a passing place on a river (1690), was taken over by the railways (1831) and soon meant a station (1835); garage (1802) followed the same path, to the motor garage (1891, 1896).^[3][5]

Timeline

• c. 1180 – Varer a in the Roman d'Aquin.^[2]
• 1415 – Guerrer “to moor”.^[2]
• 1564 – Garrer “to shelter (a boat)”.^[2]
• 1635 – Se varer à un danger.^[2]
• 1690 – Gare on a river.^[5]
• 1802 – Garage.^[3]
• 1835 – Gare “railway station”.^[3]
• 1865 – Of a vehicle, in Littré.^[2]

Meanings

Verb

1. To park (a vehicle): garer sa voiture, (reflexive) se garer: to park.^[9][1]
2. To put (a vehicle, a boat, a train) away, into shelter: garer un bateau pour l'hiver.^[9][8]
3. To put away safely: garer ses récoltes, (familiar) garer les meubles: to save what one can.^[4][6]
4. (reflexive) Se garer: to pull over, get out of the way, se garer de: to steer clear of.^[9][3]
5. (dated) Garer de: to protect from.^[2][9]

Word family

• gare
• garage
• gare
• garage
• garagiste

Related words

• égarer
• garder
• Old Norse vara

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p 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 f g h i j k l m n Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c d Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ a b c Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
6. ^ a b c Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
7. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 17, 534a
8. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
9. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert