inciser

Forms

inciser^[1] Old French enciser, also encisier (1314).^[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French enciser (“to cut, to slice”), remade after incision, which is inherited from Vulgar Latin *incīsō, formed on incīsum, the supine of classical Latin incīdō (“to cut into, engrave”).^[3][2][4][5] The Latin verb is formed from in- and caedō (“to cut, strike”).^[2][5][6] The REW lists the Late Latin verb under its number 4354a.^[3] According to Bloch and Wartburg, the remade form took on the narrower, technical uses of the noun.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Old French enciser “to cut, to slice” is first found in Philippe de Thaon's Bestiaire (1121–1134).^[3][2] The modern form inciser appears in medical commentaries of 1362–1365, of cutting the body,^[7] and the TLFi gives its first record, “to split with a cutting tool”, before 1418, in Jehan Le Lièvre's treatise on bloodletting.^[3]

Semantic evolution

From the start the remade verb belonged to surgery (1475, earlier encisier in 1314); it was then used in tree growing (15th century), for making cuts in bark, and in engraving, for cutting into a material to draw on it (1596).^[2][3] The past participle incisé was used in botany from 1783 for leaves that look cut out with scissors.^[3][2] In older medicine it also meant, figuratively, to dissolve the humours, of the action of certain remedies.^[6]

The derivative inciseur first meant a surgeon (1508), then a cutting instrument (1598, 1878).^[3][2]

Timeline

• 1121–1134 – Old French enciser appears in Philippe de Thaon's Bestiaire.^[3]
• 1314 – Encisier is used in surgery.^[2]
• 1362–1365 – Inciser is found in a medical commentary.^[7]
• Before 1418 – Jehan Le Lièvre's treatise on bloodletting uses it for splitting with a cutting tool.^[3]
• 1475 – The surgical sense is recorded in Jean de Roye's chronicle.^[3]
• 1508 – The derivative inciseur “surgeon” appears.^[3]
• 1596 – Hulsius records the sense “to engrave, notch”.^[3]
• 1783 – Incisé is used of leaves in botany.^[3]

Meanings

Verb

1. To make one or more incisions in something with a sharp tool, to cut into.^[3][8]
2. (arboriculture) To cut into the bark of a tree, for grafting or to draw off sap or resin: inciser un pin pour en tirer la résine.^[3][6][8]
3. (surgery) To open with a cut: inciser un abcès.^[3][8]
4. (engraving) To cut lines into a material, to engrave.^[9][2]

Word family

• inciseur

Related words

• incision
• incisif
• incise
• Latin incīdō

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q 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
4. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
5. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
7. ^ a b Dictionnaire du Moyen Français, version 2015 (DMF 2015), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/dmf
8. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
9. ^ Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse