infatuation

Forms

infatuation f (plural infatuations)^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from French infatuer + -ation.^[2][3][4][5] The verb infatuer, recorded from about 1380, is borrowed from Latin infatuō (“to make foolish”),^[3] itself from fatuus (“foolish”), the source of fat.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found in 1622, in François Garasse's Recherches des recherches, in the sense “a foolish prejudice in favour of someone”.^[2][3]

Semantic evolution

The first sense, a foolish infatuation with someone or something, is classical French: the GLLF quotes Saint-Simon on Canillac's infatuation for Stairs.^[6][5] It has since gone out of use.^[7][8]

From 1836 (Edgar Quinet) the word took the sense of self-satisfaction, the excessive admiration a person has for himself and his own worth, following the verb's être infatué de soi (1689, La Bruyère).^[2][7] This is the modern sense, now literary;^[7][8][9] the GLLF dates it to Chateaubriand, before 1848.^[6]

Timeline

• c. 1380 – The verb infatuer is borrowed from Latin.^[3]
• 1622 – Garasse uses infatuation for a foolish prejudice in favour of someone.^[2][3]
• 1689 – La Bruyère writes être infatué de soi “to be full of oneself”.^[2][7]
• 1836 – Quinet uses it in the sense “conceit, self-satisfaction”.^[2][7]

Meanings

Noun

1. (literary) Excessive satisfaction with oneself, conceit, self-importance: son infatuation lassait tous ses collègues.^{[8][9][10][2]}
2. (obsolete) A foolish infatuation with someone or something.^[8][5][6]

Related words

• infatuer
• fat
• fatuité
• Latin fatuus

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 Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
4. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
6. ^ a b c Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
7. ^ a b c d e Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
8. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
9. ^ a b Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)
10. ^ Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)