intégration

Forms

intégration f (plural intégrations)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Late Latin integrātiō (“renewal, restoration”), a derivative of Latin integrō (“to restore, renew”), first recorded in 1309 in the sense “restoration”.^[2][3][4] The mathematical sense, from 1700, is a new formation from French intégrer + -ation,^[2][5] or perhaps was coined after the New Latin of the mathematicians, together with intégral.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The earliest record, in an archival document of 1309 cited by Godefroy, has the sense “restoration, re-establishment” of the Late Latin word.^[2][5]

Semantic evolution

The word was taken up again in mathematics in 1700, by Varignon in the memoirs of the Académie des sciences, for the operation that is the inverse of differentiation.^[2][5][3] From there it widened to the general sense “the action of incorporating an element into a whole”, used in economics from the end of the 19th century and in physiology and psychoanalysis in the 20th.^[3][5]

From the middle of the 20th century it has commonly meant the process by which a person or group becomes part of a community or society;^[3] intégration raciale is recorded by Larousse in 1968.^[5] In economics it also names the merging of firms at different stages of production (1931).^[5] This use gave the political term intégrationniste.^[3]

Timeline

• 1309 – First recorded, meaning “restoration”.^[2][5]
• 1700 – Varignon uses it in mathematics.^[2][5]
• Late 19th century – It comes to mean incorporation into a whole, first in economics.^[3][5]
• 1931 – Larousse records the economic sense.^[5]
• Mid-20th century – It is used for a person's incorporation into a social group.^[3]
• 1968 – Intégration raciale is recorded.^[5]

Meanings

Noun

1. (mathematics) The operation, inverse of differentiation, by which a primitive of a function is found.^[6][2]
2. The incorporation of a new element into a whole or system: l'intégration d'un nouveau logiciel au réseau.^[7][5]
3. The assimilation of a person or group into a community or society: l'intégration des nouveaux arrivants.^[7][8]
4. (economics) The bringing together in one firm of the successive stages of production.^[8][5]
5. (physiology, psychology) The coordination of parts or functions into a whole.^[6]

Word family

• intégrationniste

Related words

• intégrer
• intégral
• intégrant
• réintégrer
• Latin integrātiō

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 Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
6. ^ a b Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
7. ^ a b Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)
8. ^ a b Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)