indéfini

Forms

indéfini (feminine indéfinie, masculine plural indéfinis, feminine plural indéfinies)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Late Latin indēfīnītus (“indefinite, vague”),^{[2][3][4][5][6]} formed from in- (“not”) and dēfīnītus (“defined, precise”), the past participle of dēfīniō (“to bound, define”).^[3][7][2] Rey calls it a calque of the Latin word;^[8] Wiktionary takes it as formed from French in- + défini.^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found in Raoul de Presles's translation of Augustine's Cité de Dieu (before 1375; dated by the TLFi from its 1531 edition), meaning “that cannot be bounded”.^[2][7][8] Bloch and Wartburg note that it was rare before the 17th century.^[5]

Semantic evolution

The grammatical use came early: Sébillet's Art poétique françois of 1548 speaks of the prétérit indéfini.^[2] In the 16th century Montaigne used indefinie of knowledge that could not be limited or defined.^[4] Descartes in 1641–1647 set the indefinite against the infinite and used the word as a noun, l'indéfini, for what has no limits we can see, as opposed to what cannot have any.^[2][3][4] The 19th century added a botanical sense (inflorescence indéfinie, 1845).^[3] In grammar the word now qualifies articles, pronouns and adjectives that do not refer to a particular object.^[8][9] It began a series of prefixed words formed on the family of définir, such as indéfiniment (1531) and indéfinissable (1731).^[8]

Timeline

• before 1375 – Raoul de Presles's translation of the Cité de Dieu uses it.^[7][8]
• 1531 – Printed edition of that translation, the TLFi's date.^[2]
• 1531 – The adverb indéfiniment is recorded.^[8]
• 1548 – Sébillet speaks of the prétérit indéfini.^[2]
• 1641 – Descartes contrasts it with infini.^[3]
• 1647 – Descartes uses it as a noun.^[2]
• 1731 – Voltaire uses indéfinissable.^[8]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Whose limits are not or cannot be fixed, boundless: un espace indéfini.^[9][2]
2. Not defined, vague, hard to describe: un malaise indéfini.^[9][4]
3. (grammar) indefinite, of a word referring to no particular object: article indéfini, pronom indéfini.^[8][9]
4. (grammar, dated) Passé indéfini or prétérit indéfini: the perfect tense, now called passé composé.^[2][3]

Noun

1. (philosophy) L'indéfini: what has no assignable limit, as distinct from the infini.^[4][2]

Word family

• indéfiniment

Related words

• défini
• définir
• indéfinissable
• infini
• Latin indēfīnītus

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 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 Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
4. ^ a b c d e Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
5. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 4, 638a
7. ^ a b c Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
8. ^ a b c d e f g h Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
9. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert