interdit

Forms

interdit (feminine interdite, masculine plural interdits, feminine plural interdites)^[1] Old French entredit (1213), intredit (1366) and enterdit (1383); the form interdit appears in the 15th century.^[2][3][4]

Etymology

Used as an adjective, it is the past participle from French interdire (“to forbid”).^[3][4][2] The verb was borrowed about 1250 from Latin interdīcō (“to forbid”), formed with inter- and dīcō (“to say”), and was adapted to dire.^[2] Old French also had the francized verb entredire (1174).^[2]

The noun is borrowed from Medieval Latin interdictum, which in the Church's Latin, from the 11th century, meant a sentence forbidding the celebration of the offices.^[3] It is the neuter past participle of the Latin verb, and in Classical Latin it already meant a prohibition in general and was a term of Roman law.^[3][5][2] The francized Old French noun entredit is found from 1213.^[2][5]

Cognate with Old Occitan entredich, Catalan entredit, Spanish entredicho and Italian interdetto.^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

The noun is first recorded in 1366 as intredit, for an ecclesiastical interdict: un intredit que li eveskes de Cambrai envoya au prouvost et as jurés “an interdict that the bishop of Cambrai sent to the provost and the jurors”.^[3][6]

Semantic evolution

The adjective followed the verb: it describes what is not allowed, and once (1383, enterdit) meant “excommunicated”, a sense now lost.^[2][4] Bonivard used it in 1556 of something forbidden, spelled interdict.^[7] From 1587 it was also said of a person struck dumb by an emotion, a use common in the 17th century that gave interdire a new sense.^[2][7]

The noun first kept the religious sense and became a term of law in 1478–1480.^[3][2] George Sand used it in 1840 for an absolute condemnation that shuts someone out of a group, and by 1946 it meant a prohibition laid down by society;^[3][2] in psychoanalysis it is the effect of a psychic agency on behaviour, close to a tabou.^[2][4]

Timeline

• 1213 – The francized form entredit is recorded.^[2][5]
• 1366 – Intredit names an ecclesiastical interdict.^[3]
• 1383 – The adjective enterdit means “excommunicated”.^[2][4]
• 15th century – The form interdit appears, in Jean de Stavelot's chronicle.^[3][2]
• 1478–1480 – Coquillart uses the noun as a legal term.^[3]
• 1556 – Bonivard uses the adjective for something forbidden.^[7]
• 1587 – The adjective is said of a person paralysed by emotion.^[2]
• 1625 – Stoer records the noun for a person under an interdict.^[3]
• 1840 – George Sand uses the noun for a condemnation that excludes someone.^[3][2]
• 1946 – Mounier uses it for a prohibition imposed by society.^[3][2]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Not allowed; forbidden by law, rule or morals: stationnement interdit “no parking”.^[3][4]
2. Of a person: barred from something, such as a priest suspended from his functions, or someone interdit de séjour, banned from living in a place.^[4][6]
3. (law) Deprived by a court of the free disposal of one's property.^[6]
4. Dumbfounded, at a loss for words.^[6][1]

Noun

1. (religion) An ecclesiastical interdict, forbidding a priest, or the people of a place, the celebration of the offices and some sacraments.^[4][6]
2. A condemnation that excludes someone or something.^[4][3]
3. A prohibition laid down by society or by a psychic agency; a taboo.^[4][2]
4. A person under an interdict or a legal interdiction.^[4][3]

Related words

• interdiction
• interdire
• dire
• Latin interdictum
• English interdict

Usage notes

Littré gives the participle and the noun as separate headwords.^[6] The May 1968 slogan il est interdit d'interdire “it is forbidden to forbid” plays on the verb.^[2]

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 l m n o p q r s Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p 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
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ a b c Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ a b c d e f g Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
7. ^ a b c Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse