Etymologically
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interrompre

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ɛ̃.tɛ.ʁɔ̃pʁ/[1]
  • IPA: /ɛ̃.te.ʁɔ̃pʁ/[1]

Forms

interrompre[1] Old French entrerumpre (early 12th century), entrerompre (still used in the early 17th century); Middle French interrumpre (1501), interrompre (1515–1520).[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin interrumpō (“to break apart; to interrupt”), from inter- (“between”) and rumpō (“to break”) (see rompre).[2][3][5][6] The Old French forms were adapted to entre and the simple verb; the modern form is a remaking after the Latin.[2][3] Wiktionary calls the Old French verb a calque of the Latin one.[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Oxford Psalter (first half of the 12th century) has entrerumpre in the Latin sense “to split”: God entrerumpiet la pierre el desert.[2][7]

Semantic evolution

The sense “to split, break” lasted until the 17th century.[3] About 1195 Ambroise uses it for stopping something from going on, and interrompre la parolle à quelqu'un “to cut someone short” is in the Cent nouvelles nouvelles (1456–1467); Amyot (1559) has interrompre quelqu'un.[2][3] The polite formula sans vous interrompre is from 1671, now out of use, and s'interrompre from 1675.[3]

It was applied to space in 1694 (interrompre un chemin), and in 1789 to disturbing someone at work.[3] In 17th-century novels it was used after direct speech, interrompit Catherine.[8] Law keeps interrompre la prescription.[7]

Timeline

  • First half of the 12th century – Entrerumpre “to split”, in the Oxford Psalter.[2]
  • c. 1195 – “To stop (something) going on”, in Ambroise.[2]
  • 1456–1467 – Interrompre la parolle à.[2]
  • 1501 – The form interrumpre.[2]
  • 1515–1520 – The form interrompre, in Marot.[2]
  • 1559 – Interrompre quelqu'un, in Amyot.[2]
  • 1675 – S'interrompre.[3]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To break the continuity of: interrompre un circuit électrique.[9][10]
  2. To interrupt, break off, suspend: interrompre ses études, interrompre un voyage.[10][9]
  3. To interrupt (someone), to cut short: ne m'interrompez pas.[9][11]
  4. S'interrompre: to stop, break off (speaking or doing something).[9][3]
  5. (law) Interrompre la prescription: to stop the period of limitation running.[7]

Word family

  • ininterrompu
  • interruption
  • interrupteur
  • rompre
  • Latin interrumpō

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k 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 i Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  5. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 4, 762b
  7. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  8. ^ Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF
  9. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  10. ^ a b Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)
  11. ^ Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)