méfier

Forms

méfier^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from French mé- + fier¹ (“to trust”), the pronominal ⟨se fier⟩ taking the prefix.^{[2][3][4][1][5]} The second part goes back to Vulgar Latin *fīdō (“to entrust”), from Latin fīdus (“faithful”).^[6][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

The TLFi first finds it about 1460 in Georges Chastellain, meaning to be on one's guard against someone's intentions.^[2] The GLLF dates it before 1502 in Octavien de Saint-Gelais, and Bloch and Wartburg to the late 15th century.^[4][6]

Semantic evolution

The verb was first used with a personal object; with a thing as object it dates from 1690 (Furetière), and in the absolute sense “to be on one's guard” from 1840 (Mérimée's Colomba: Mais méfiez-vous) or 1868 (Littré).^[2][8][4] It gave méfiance (15th century) and méfiant (1642), which, like the verb, are in common use and contrast with confiant and confiance; se défier and its family belong to a more formal register.^[8][6]

Timeline

• c. 1460 – Georges Chastellain uses it of distrusting a person.^[2]
• before 1502 – Octavien de Saint-Gelais uses it.^[4]
• 1642 – méfiant is recorded.^[8]
• 1690 – Furetière records it with a thing as object.^[2][4]
• 1840 – Mérimée uses méfiez-vous in the absolute.^[2]

Meanings

Verb

1. se méfier de: to mistrust someone, to be on one's guard against their intentions.^[9][4][1]
2. se méfier de: to be wary of something, to take care to avoid a danger.^[4][9]
3. (absolute) To watch out, be careful: Méfie-toi, la route est glissante.^[9][4]

Word family

• méfiance
• méfiant

Related words

• fier¹
• défier
• confier
• Latin fīdus

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f 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. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c d e f g h Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
5. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
6. ^ a b c Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
7. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 3, 499b
8. ^ a b c Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
9. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert