Etymologically
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hausser

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Pronunciation

Forms

hausser[1] Old French halcier (about 1130), haucier (12th century); hausser from the 15th century.[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French haucier, inherited from Vulgar Latin *altiō (“to raise”), from altus (“high”).[5][4][6][7][1] The ⟨l⟩ of halcier was vocalized to ⟨u⟩ in the 12th century, and the initial ⟨h⟩ comes from haut.[4][5][2]

Cognate with Italian alzare, Occitan ausar, Catalan alçar, Spanish alzar and Portuguese alçar.[5][8]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found about 1130 in the Roman d'Eneas, spelled halcier, meaning “to lift, raise to a higher level”;[2][3][4] in the Chanson de Roncevaux the emperor en hauce le menton “raises his chin”.[9]

Semantic evolution

From “to raise” came “to make higher” (hausser un mur, about 1155, Wace) and “to make louder” (about 1195, Ambroise, voiz hauciee).[5][4] About 1208 Villehardouin uses it for raising the value or standing of something, a sense now old-fashioned except in hausser les prix.[5][4] The intransitive use “to rise, go up” (mid-16th century) has given way to monter.[4]

Many uses are set phrases: se hausser sur la pointe des pieds (about 1265), hausser les épaules (1663, Molière), hausser le coude “to drink a lot” (1690, Furetière), hausser la voix (1672) and hausser le ton (1693, Madame de Maintenon).[4][2] The derived hausse meant “pride” in the 13th century before taking its senses of rise and increase.[4]

Timeline

  • c. 1130 – Halcier in the Roman d'Eneas.[2]
  • c. 1155 – “To make higher”, in Wace.[5]
  • c. 1195 – Of raising the voice, in Ambroise.[5]
  • c. 1208 – Villehardouin uses it of raising something in worth.[5]
  • c. 1265 – The reflexive se hausser.[4]
  • 15th century – The spelling hausser.[3][2]
  • 1663 – Hausser les épaules, in Molière.[2]
  • 1693 – Hausser le ton, in Madame de Maintenon.[2]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To make higher: hausser une maison d'un étage.[10][9]
  2. To raise, lift to a higher level: hausser le bras, hausser les épaules, to shrug.[10][9][1]
  3. To make louder or stronger: hausser la voix, hausser le ton, to speak more sharply.[10][2]
  4. (dated) To increase: hausser les prix.[4][9]
  5. Se hausser: to stand up higher: se hausser sur la pointe des pieds, se hausser du col, to give oneself airs.[10][4]

Word family

  • hausse
  • haussement
  • rehausser
  • exhausser
  • surhausser

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  3. ^ a b c Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ 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
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h 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
  6. ^ Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  7. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 24, 360a
  8. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
  9. ^ a b c d Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  10. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert