imparfait

Forms

imparfait (feminine imparfaite, masculine plural imparfaits, feminine plural imparfaites)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin imperfectus (“unfinished, incomplete, imperfect”), adapted after parfait.^[2][3][4] The Latin adjective is formed from in- (“not”) and perfectus (“completed”), the past participle of perficiō (“to complete”), from per- and faciō (“to do, make”).^[5][6] Bloch and Wartburg give it simply as a borrowing of the Latin word.^[7]

The grammatical noun has a separate history: the phrase prétérit imparfait renders the grammarians' Late Latin praeteritum imperfectum (3rd century), Medieval Latin preteritum imperfectum (13th century), and the noun is that phrase shortened.^[2] Rey sees it as the adjective made a noun, matching Latin imperfectum.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found in Nicole Oresme's translation of Aristotle's Ethics (1370–1372), meaning “not perfect”: l'abit est imparfait et n'a pas sa perfeccion naturele (“the habit is imperfect and lacks its natural perfection”).^[2] Rey notes that this first sense was often measured against a divine absolute.^[3]

Semantic evolution

In 1372 Jean Corbichon used it for “unfinished, incomplete”, a sense that is now rare.^[2][3] By the end of the 14th century, in Eustache Deschamps, it meant “having faults or gaps”, which is the common sense today, also in music, botany and zoology.^[2][3] Ronsard made it a neuter noun in 1550, l'imparfait “what is imperfect”, a rare use.^[2][3]

In grammar the adjective first qualified a tense, prétérit imparfait (14th–15th century), then passé imparfait (about 1543) and temps imparfait (1596); the noun alone is found in 1606 in Jean Masset's grammar.^[2][7][3]

Timeline

• 1370–1372 – Oresme uses it for “not perfect”.^[2]
• 1372 – Jean Corbichon uses it for “unfinished”.^[2][5]
• Late 14th century – Deschamps uses it for “having faults”.^[2]
• 14th century – Prétérit imperfet appears as a grammatical term.^[2]
• 1550 – Ronsard uses l'imparfait as a noun, “what is imperfect”.^[2]
• 1596 – Temps imparfait is recorded.^[2][7]
• 1606 – Imparfait is used alone as the name of the tense.^[2][7]

Meanings

Adjective

1. (dated) Unfinished, incomplete; of a book, missing some sheets.^[2][6]
2. Having flaws or lacking some elements or qualities; faulty.^[2][8]
3. That by its nature cannot be perfect: toute œuvre humaine est imparfaite.^[8]
4. (music) Of a chord, consonance or cadence: not perfect, as in accord imparfait.^[6]
5. (botany) Of a flower: lacking some of its organs, as in fleur imparfaite.^[5][6]

Noun

1. (grammar) The imperfect tense, a past tense of the indicative for an action that lasted or was repeated, also imparfait de l'indicatif.^[2][1][9]
2. (rare) What is imperfect.^[2][3]

Word family

• imparfaitement

Related words

• parfait
• imperfection
• Latin imperfectus

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r 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 Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ a b c Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
6. ^ a b c d Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
7. ^ a b c d Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
8. ^ a b Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
9. ^ Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)