hégémonie

Forms

hégémonie f (plural hégémonies)^[1] Joseph de Maistre wrote it egimonie in 1815; the spelling hégémonie is recorded from 1840.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is a learned word, borrowed from Ancient Greek ἡγεμονία (hēgemonía, “leadership, supremacy of one Greek state over the others”),^[2][3][4][5] from ἡγεμών (hēgemṓn, “guide, leader”),^[2][4][6] which comes from ἡγέομαι (hēgéomai, “to go before, lead, command”).^[3][7][8] Rey connects the Greek verb with an Indo-European root meaning “to seek out, track”, also seen in Latin sāgiō (“to perceive keenly”), to which sagace belongs.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Joseph de Maistre used it in his correspondence in 1815, in the form egimonie; the Académie's 1842 supplement records hégémonie (1840).^[2][3][6] It first referred to the leading position of one city among the ancient Greek states.^[3][7]

Semantic evolution

Taken from the language of Greek history, where it named the political pre-eminence and military command of one city (Sparta, Athens) over a league of cities, the word was soon applied to modern states:^[3][2][7] Littré already records it for the rivalry of Austria and Prussia over Germany.^[7] Bescherelle has the general sense of supremacy in 1845, and Littré gives the ancient sense in 1866.^[8][9] Today it is a learned but fairly common word for the domination of one power, nation or group over others, including economic and cultural domination.^[3][10][11]

It gave the adjective hégémonique (1876, Renan) and the noun hégémonisme (1990), the tendency of a power to seek hegemony.^[3] English had borrowed hegemony directly from Greek in the 1560s.^[12]

Timeline

• 1815 – Joseph de Maistre writes egimonie in a letter.^[2][3]
• 1840 – Hégémonie is recorded, in the Académie's 1842 supplement.^[2][4]
• 1845 – Bescherelle records the sense “supremacy of a state”.^[8][9]
• 1866 – Littré defines the sense in Greek antiquity.^[8]
• 1876 – Renan uses the derivative hégémonique.^[3]
• 1878 – The Académie admits the word.^[9]
• 1990 – Hégémonisme is recorded.^[3]

Meanings

Noun

1. (Greek antiquity) The political preponderance and military command held by one city within a confederation of Greek cities.^[2][10][11]
2. Supremacy or domination of a state, nation, power or social group over others.^{[2][10][11][13]}

Word family

• hégémonique
• hégémonisme

Related words

• Ancient Greek ἡγεμονία (hēgemonía)
• English hegemony

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i 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 Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, 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. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 4, 398a
6. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
7. ^ a b c d Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
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 Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF
10. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
11. ^ a b c Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
12. ^ Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
13. ^ Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)