hypnotique

Forms

hypnotique (plural hypnotiques)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Late Latin hypnōticus (“narcotic”), a medical term,^[2][3][4][1] which is from Ancient Greek ὑπνωτικός (hupnōtikós, “sleep-inducing”),^[2][1] from ὕπνος (húpnos, “sleep”).^[4][3] Littré derives the Greek adjective from ὑπνόω (hupnóō, “to put to sleep”).^[5] Rey places the Greek noun in an Indo-European family to which Latin somnus (“sleep”) also belongs.^[3]

The sense “relating to hypnotism” was taken up after hypnotisme, perhaps in connection with English hypnotic, used in this sense by James Braid from 1843.^[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Bloch and Wartburg date it to 1549; the Trésor's first record is a passage of Ambroise Paré, printed in 1628, where it is both an adjective “causing sleep” and a noun for a sleep-inducing drug.^[4][2][3] Paré writes: il n'est pas à propos de donner toujours des hypnotiques (“it is not always fitting to give hypnotics”).^[5]

Semantic evolution

The word seems to have been rare in the classical period.^[3] After Braid coined English hypnotism in 1843, the French word took the sense “relating to hypnotism”, recorded by Littré in 1866 (the Petit Robert dates it 1860).^[2][3][6][4] In 1882 Edmond de Goncourt used it as a noun for a person in a hypnotic state.^[2][7]

Timeline

• 1549 – First record, according to Bloch and Wartburg.^[4][8]
• 1628 – A passage of Paré, printed in this year, uses it of sleep-inducing drugs.^[2][3]
• 1843 – English hypnotism is coined by Braid; the French hypnotisme follows in 1845.^[4][3]
• 1866 – Littré records the sense “relating to hypnotism”.^[2]
• 1882 – Goncourt uses it as a noun for a hypnotized person.^[2][7]
• 1924 – The adverb hypnotiquement appears in Valéry.^[2]

Meanings

Adjective

1. (medicine) That induces sleep; narcotic, soporific.^[6][2][5]
2. Relating to hypnose or hypnotisme: état hypnotique, suggestion hypnotique.^[6][2]
3. Of a person: who can be put into a state of hypnosis.^[6]

Noun

1. (medicine) A drug that induces sleep, a sleeping pill.^[6][5][1]
2. (dated) A person in a state of hypnosis.^[2][7]

Word family

• hypnotiquement

Related words

• hypnose
• hypnotisme
• hypnotiser
• Ancient Greek ὕπνος (húpnos)

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 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 Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ 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
5. ^ a b c d Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
6. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
7. ^ a b c Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF
8. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert