geindre

Forms

geindre^[1] Old French giembre (about 1200) and giendre (early 13th century).^[2][3][4] Anglo-Norman geendre, gendre.^[5]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French giembre, inherited from Latin gemō (“to groan, lament”).^[2][6][7][1] The Old French form was the regular outcome of the Latin verb, stressed on its first syllable;^[2][8] it was then refashioned after the verbs in ⟨-eindre⟩ such as craindre.^[2][6][7] Its doublet gémir was taken from the same Latin verb about 1150, with a change of conjugation.^[7][1] Littré reports Curtius's view that the Latin verb is related to Ancient Greek γέμω (gémō, “to be full”), from the swelling felt in sobbing.^[8]

Cognate with Italian gemere and Old Occitan gemer.^[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first recorded in Wace's Roman de Rou (1160–1174), souvent geint et soupire “often groans and sighs”, meaning to lament.^[2][6]

Semantic evolution

The Latin sense of plain lamenting survives only in a higher style, while gémir took over the neutral sense.^[6][7] From 1280 geindre was used disparagingly, of someone who moans at every turn,^[2][6] and this pejorative use has been the ordinary one since Middle French.^[7][9] From 1573, in Jehan de La Taille, it is said of things that give out a plaintive sound, as wood under the axe.^[2][10] Its derivative geignard “whining” dates from 1867.^[6]

Timeline

• 1160–1174 – Wace writes souvent geint et soupire.^[2]
• c. 1200 – The form giembre appears in the Chanson de Guillaume.^[2]
• 1280 – The Clef d'Amour uses it of complaining at every turn.^[2]
• 1573 – Jehan de La Taille writes of wood that groans under the steel.^[2][10]
• 1856 – The Goncourts write of a voix geignante.^[2]
• 1867 – The adjective geignard is recorded.^[6]

Meanings

Verb

1. To moan faintly and inarticulately, from pain or discomfort: le blessé geignait dans son lit.^[9][2]
2. Of a thing, to give out a plaintive sound, to creak: la vieille porte geint sur ses gonds.^[9][2]
3. (familiar, pejorative) To whine, to complain about everything: arrête de geindre !^[9][8]

Word family

• geignard

Related words

• gémir
• gémissement
• Latin gemō

Usage notes

An obsolete noun geindre, a baker's journeyman who kneads the dough, is a different word: it is the usual gindre, from the Old French nominative joindre, from Latin junior “younger”, and the spelling geindre for it came in during the 19th century.^[2][6][9]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o 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. ^ Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
5. ^ Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)
6. ^ a b c d e f g h Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
7. ^ a b c d e f Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
8. ^ a b c 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
10. ^ a b Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF