incriminer

Forms

incriminer^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Late Latin incrīminō (“to accuse”), which is formed on Classical Latin crīminor (“to accuse, slander”), itself from crīmen (“accusation, charge, crime”), the source of crime.^[2][3][4] Old Occitan already had encrimar (“to accuse”) in the 12th and 13th centuries.^[2][3] Bloch and Wartburg date it from 1791 but note that it is found as early as the 16th century.^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first recorded in 1558, in S. Fontaine's Histoire catholique, meaning “to declare someone a criminal”.^[2][3]

Semantic evolution

The verb remained rare until 1791, when it reappeared in the same sense in Malouet's speeches.^[2][4] At the time of the Revolution it displaced criminaliser in the sense “to declare criminal”;^[2][3] in that sense it is now old-fashioned and replaced by inculper.^[3][6]

By extension it came to mean “to call into question”, first of a thing (1859, Sainte-Beuve) and then of a person, at first in the reflexive (1863, Flaubert), and in the early 20th century “to hold someone or something responsible” without any fault being implied.^[3] Its derivatives incrimination (1829), incriminable (1842) and incriminateur (1918, Proust) are rare.^[3]

Timeline

• 1558 – First record, in S. Fontaine's Histoire catholique, “to declare criminal”.^[2][3]
• 1791 – Malouet uses it in the same sense; the word becomes current.^[2][5]
• 1829 – The noun incrimination appears.^[3]
• 1859 – Sainte-Beuve uses it of a thing, “to call into question”.^[3]
• 1863 – Flaubert uses the reflexive of persons.^[3]

Meanings

Verb

1. (dated) To accuse someone of a crime, to declare them criminal.^[6][7]
2. To call someone into question, to blame them or hold them responsible: on a incriminé le chauffeur à tort.^[6][7]
3. To regard something as responsible or as blameworthy: incriminer le mauvais temps.^[6][7]

Word family

• incrimination
• incriminable

Related words

• crime
• criminel
• inculper
• Latin crīmen

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g 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 i j k 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 Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
6. ^ a b c d 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