illusoire

Forms

illusoire (plural illusoires)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Late Latin illūsōrius (“deceptive, illusory”), recorded by the end of the 14th century.^[2][3][4] The Latin adjective is derived from illūsiō (“mockery, illusion”), the source of illusion, which is formed on the supine of illūdō (“to mock, make sport of”).^[4][5][6][7] Littré derived it instead from illūsor (“one who mocks”).^[8]

Earliest recorded meaning

Its first record is in Eustache Deschamps at the end of the 14th century, meaning “deceptive”.^[2][9] The GLLF glosses this use as said of a contract or proposal that seeks to deceive under a false appearance.^[5]

Semantic evolution

The Latin sense “apt to produce illusion, deceiving the senses” has gone out of use: Buffon could still call sight the most illusory of the senses.^[3][10][4] Today the adjective is applied to what may give an illusion but rests on nothing real or serious, a sense the GLLF dates from Hulsius's dictionary (1596).^[3][5][10] In law and didactic language a proposition illusoire or contrat illusoire was one meant to deceive by a false appearance.^[8]

The adverb illusoirement (about 1530) followed both senses and is literary.^[3]

Timeline

• Late 14th century – Eustache Deschamps uses it in the sense “deceptive”.^[2][5]
• c. 1530 – The adverb illusoirement is recorded.^[3]
• 1596 – Hulsius records the sense “without any real basis”.^[5]
• 16th century – Ambroise Paré speaks of an impression illusoire of Satan.^[8]
• 1718 – The Académie's dictionary includes the adverb.^[2]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Seeming real but resting on nothing real or serious, illusory, vain: une promesse illusoire;^[10][11][6] il est illusoire de + infinitive, it is pointless to.^[10][11][6]
2. (dated) Apt to produce an illusion, deceiving the senses or the mind.^[10][4]
3. (law, dated) Meant to deceive by a false appearance: un contrat illusoire.^[8][5]

Word family

• illusoirement

Related words

• illusion
• illusionner
• Latin illūsōrius

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d 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 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 d e f Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
6. ^ a b c Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
7. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 4, 561b
8. ^ a b c d Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
9. ^ Tobler, Adolf; Lommatzsch, Erhard (1925–2002), Altfranzösisches Wörterbuch, 11 vols., Berlin / Wiesbaden / Stuttgart: Weidmann / Steiner, p. 4:1334
10. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
11. ^ a b Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)