médiation

Forms

médiation f (plural médiations)^[2] Middle French mediacion (late 14th century).^[3]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Late Latin mediātiō (“mediation, intervention”),^[3][4][5] the noun of mediō (“to be in the middle, to halve”), from medius (“middle”).^[4][6] The GLLF derives it from the supine mediātum.^[7] It is related to médiateur, borrowed from Late Latin mediātor about 1265.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Its first record is in a 13th-century algorism, where it means division of a number by two.^[3][7][4]

Semantic evolution

In the 16th century it took its modern sense of an intervention to reconcile parties, first in religion, of the relation between God and man: Calvin wrote of Christ's mediation temporelle in 1541.^[4][3][8] The Mistere du Viel Testament had already used it about 1480 for an intermediary between God and man.^[3] The sense then spread to law and diplomacy (1878) and to labour law (1963).^[4][7]

In didactic and philosophical use it came to mean the fact of serving as an intermediary between two terms (1947, Lalande).^[4][7] It also became a term of astrology, the moment of a star's culmination (1691, Ozanam), and of church music, the pause in the middle of a psalm verse (1701, Furetière).^[3][4] English mediation is recorded from the late 14th century.^[6]

Timeline

• 13th century – It means “division by two” in an algorism.^[3][4]
• Late 14th century – The spelling mediacion is found in archives of the Nord.^[3]
• c. 1480 – It names an intermediary between God and man.^[3]
• 1541 – Calvin uses it for the reconciling of God and man.^[3][4]
• 1691 – Ozanam uses it in astrology.^[3][4]
• 1701 – Furetière records the pause in the middle of a psalm verse.^[3][4]
• 1878 – It is used in international law.^[7][4]
• 1963 – A sense in labour law is recorded.^[7]

Meanings

Noun

1. An intervention intended to bring about agreement or reconciliation between people, parties or states, mediation: Le pays a offert sa médiation dans le conflit.^[1][9][10]
2. (international law) An organised procedure of conciliation between states.^[1][7]
3. (formal) The fact of serving as an intermediary, or what serves as one, especially in philosophy.^[1][3][9]
4. (liturgy) The pause dividing a psalm verse into two halves, sung alternately by the two sides of the choir.^[8][3]
5. (astrology) The moment of a star's culmination.^[8][3]

Related words

• médiateur
• médiatrice
• médian
• Latin medius
• English mediation

Usage notes

Littré records Acte de médiation for the constitution given to Switzerland by Bonaparte in 1803.^[8]

References

1. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
2. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o 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 l m Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
7. ^ a b c d e f g Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
8. ^ a b c d Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
9. ^ a b Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
10. ^ Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)