jeter

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ʒə.te/^[1]
• IPA (Louisiana): /ʃte/^[1]
• IPA (Louisiana): /ʒe.te/^[1]

Forms

jeter^[1] Old French getter (881), jeter.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French jeter, inherited from Vulgar Latin *iectō, an altered form of classical iactō (“to throw, toss”), after compounds such as iniectō, the frequentative of iaciō (“to throw”) (see gésir).^{[2][3][4][5][1]} The Latin verb belongs to an Indo-European root “*yē-” “to throw”, also seen in Ancient Greek ἵημι (híēmi, “to send, throw”).^[2][4]

Cognate with Italian gettare, Catalan gitar and Portuguese geitar; Spanish echar continues “iactāre”.^[4][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found in the Séquence de sainte Eulalie (about 881) in the sense “to push violently, hurl (into)”: the saint is thrown into the fire.^[7][2]

Semantic evolution

By the end of the 10th century it meant “to drive out”, first with an adverb meaning “outside”, then alone (1130); jeter le sort “to cast lots” (about 980) became jeter un sort “to cast a spell” (1549), and le sort en est jeté dates from 1636.^[2][7] Reflexive se jeter “to rush” is in the Vie de saint Léger; of a river reaching the sea it is found in 1751.^[7]

The Chanson de Roland uses it for putting something down hastily (about 1100).^[7] Figurative uses include jeter dans l'embarras (1568), se jeter dans “to throw oneself into (a task)” (Du Bellay, 1549) and jeter un coup d'œil.^[7]

Timeline

• c. 881 – Getter in the Séquence de sainte Eulalie.^[7][2]
• c. 980 – Jeter le sort.^[2]
• Late 10th century – “To drive out”, in the Passion of Clermont.^[7]
• c. 1100 – In the Chanson de Roland.^[7]
• 1549 – Jeter un sort “to cast a spell”.^[2]
• 1636 – Le sort en est jeté.^[2]
• 1751 – Of a river flowing into the sea.^[7]

Meanings

Verb

1. To throw, toss: jeter une balle, jeter l'éponge.^[4]
2. To throw away, discard: jeter à la poubelle.^[4]
3. To put or drop hastily: jeter un manteau sur ses épaules.^[7]
4. To throw out, expel; to throw into a state: jeter dans l'embarras.^[7]
5. To give out, utter: jeter un cri, jeter un coup d'œil, jeter un sort, to cast a spell.^[4][2]
6. Se jeter: to throw oneself, rush; of a river, to flow into.^[7]

Word family

• jet
• jetable
• rejeter

Related words

• projeter
• gésir
• Latin iactō

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c d e f Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 5, 12b
6. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l 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