incessant

Forms

incessant (feminine incessante, masculine plural incessants, feminine plural incessantes)^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from French in- + cessant, the second part being the present participle of cesser.^[2][3][4][1] The verb is from Latin cessō (“to delay, cease”), a frequentative of cēdō.^[5] Littré instead derived it from Latin incessāns.^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first recorded in 1552, in Paradin's Cronique de Savoye, meaning “that does not stop”.^[2][7]

Semantic evolution

In 1794 Pougens still listed it in his vocabulary of new privative words, as a word to be revived.^[2] It became the common antonym of the participle cessant, which survives only in toute affaire cessante.^[8] From “unceasing” it took the sense “continual”, of things that keep happening, as in des cris incessants.^[8][7]

The adverb incessamment is older (1358): it adapts Late Latin incessanter (“without stopping”) rather than deriving from incessant.^[8]

Timeline

• 1552 – Paradin uses incessant.^[2][7]
• 1794 – Pougens lists it among new privative words.^[2]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Incessant, going on without a break: un bruit incessant.^[4][2]
2. Recurring over and over, with a plural noun: des appels incessants.^[7][4]

Related words

• cesser
• cesse
• incessamment
• cessation

References

1. ^ a b c d 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. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
6. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
7. ^ a b c d Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
8. ^ a b c Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert