incessamment

Forms

incessamment^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Late Latin incessanter (“unceasingly”), adapted to French with the adverb suffix -ment, rather than derived from incessant, which is recorded later (1552).^[2][3][4][1] The Late Latin adverb comes from incessans (“unceasing”), from Latin in- (“not”) and the present participle of cessō (“to cease”).^[3][4] Littré and the Petit Robert derive it from that adjective.^[5][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

It first appears in a letter of Charles V (1358), meaning “continually”, of services rendered de jour en jour incessamment “day after day without ceasing”.^[2][5]

Semantic evolution

The sense “without ceasing” is the medieval and classical one, still found in Froissart and Montaigne.^[5][3] By extension it came to mean “without delay, very soon” (1671, Pomey), now its usual sense; the old sense survives only in literary style.^[2][3][6] Littré noted that the older texts do not have the sense “as soon as possible”.^[5]

Timeline

• 1358 – A letter of Charles V uses it in the sense “unceasingly”.^[2][7]
• 15th century – Froissart writes Tous les jours incessamment venoient gens de tous pays.^[5]
• 1552 – The adjective incessant is recorded.^[3]
• 1671 – Pomey records the sense “very soon”.^[2][7][6]

Meanings

Adverb

1. (literary, dated) unceasingly, continually.^[6][7][1]
2. Very soon, without delay, at any moment: Le train doit arriver incessamment.^[6][2][1]

Related words

• incessant
• cesser
• Late Latin incessanter

Usage notes

In the sense “very soon” it refers to the future; the Académie held that it could only be used so, though Littré saw no reason against using it with a past tense.^[5] The pleonasm incessamment sous peu is used in jest.^[6]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f 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 Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ a b c d e f Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
6. ^ a b c d e f Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
7. ^ a b c Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse