injuste

Forms

injuste (plural injustes)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin injūstus (“contrary to justice, acting unjustly”), formed from the negative prefix in- and iūstus (“just”), from iūs (“law, right”).^[2][3][4][5] It is thus equivalent to in- with juste.^[1]

Compare Occitan injust, Spanish injusto and Italian ingiusto.^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first recorded in 1293, in the franchises granted to the town of Lons-le-Saulnier, meaning “contrary to justice”.^[2][7] The Anglo-Norman Dictionary has it from the first half of the 13th century, meaning “unjust, wrongful”.^[8]

Semantic evolution

The word took over the two senses of the Latin: “contrary to justice” and, of a person, “who does not act with equity”, found in Nicole Oresme between about 1361 and 1382.^[7][2][4] Racine added the sense “ill-founded, unjustified” in 1677.^[7][2] Its adverb injustement (1671) replaced the older enjustement (about 1300).^[7]

Timeline

• 1293 – First recorded in the franchises of Lons-le-Saulnier.^[2][7]
• c. 1300 – The adverb enjustement is found.^[7]
• c. 1350 – The date Bloch and Wartburg give for the adjective.^[9]
• Before 1382 – Nicole Oresme uses it of a person who does not act with equity.^[2]
• 1671 – Injustement is recorded.^[7]
• 1677 – Racine's Phèdre uses it for “ill-founded”.^[2][7]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Of a person, acting against justice or equity, unfair: un juge injuste, être injuste envers ses élèves.^[10][2]
2. Of a thing, contrary to justice, undeserved or arbitrary: une punition injuste.^[10][2]
3. Ill-founded, unjustified: des prétentions injustes.^[6][2]

Noun

1. An unjust person;^[6] l'injuste, what is unjust, as opposed to the just.^[6]

Word family

• injustement

Related words

• juste
• injustice
• Latin injūstus

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j 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 Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
5. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 4, 698b
6. ^ a b c d Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
7. ^ a b c d e f g h Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
8. ^ Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)
9. ^ Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
10. ^ a b Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert