Etymologically
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insister

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ɛ̃.sis.te/[1]

Forms

insister[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin īnsistō (“to stand on; to apply oneself to; to dwell on”),[2][3][4][5] formed from the locative “in-” and Latin sistō (“to stand still; to set”), a reduplicated form of stō (“to stand”), from the Indo-European root “*stā-” (see ester and station).[3][6][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

It first appears in 1336 as the reflexive s'insister en “to apply oneself to”, and in 1366 as soi insister “to devote oneself”, senses that did not last.[3][6][2]

Semantic evolution

In 1400 it meant to persevere in asking, press, used absolutely and, from the mid-15th century with a preposition; this has remained the most usual sense (insister pour, n'insistez pas).[2][3][7] Classical French also used it for “to persist” (Rotrou), and Calvin and Amyot have insister à l'encontre.[7][8] The sense “to dwell on, stress” appears in Pomey (1671, insister sur, Furetière, 1690), and in phonetics it is to stress a syllable.[2][6][3] Insistant dates from 1553, and insistance (1556) was rare before 1801.[2][3][4]

Timeline

  • 1336 – S'insister en “to apply oneself”.[3]
  • 1400 – “To press, keep asking”.[2]
  • 1553 – Insistant.[2]
  • 1556 – Insistance.[3]
  • 1671 – “To dwell on”, in Pomey.[2]
  • 1801 – Insistance in common use.[4]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To insist: to keep asking, press: il insiste pour venir, n'insistez pas.[9][1]
  2. Insister sur: to stress, dwell on: insister sur un point.[9][1]
  3. To persist, keep at it: j'ai insisté et la porte s'est ouverte.[9][10]

Word family

  • insistance
  • insistant

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h 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 Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b c Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  5. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 4, 718a
  6. ^ a b c Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, 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
  8. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  9. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  10. ^ Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)