métathèse

Forms

métathèse f (plural métathèses)^[1] Middle French had the Latin form methatesis in Fabri's Art de pleine rhetorique (1521), which the GLLF treats as Latin rather than French.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Late Latin metathesis (“transposition”), a term of the Late Latin grammarians (4th century), which also meant the transposition of the terms of an argument.^[2][4][3] The Latin word is from Ancient Greek μετάθεσις (metáthesis, “transposition, change”), used by the grammarians of a change of letters, a derivative of μετατίθημι (metatíthēmi, “to change the place of”), formed from μετά (metá) and τίθημι (títhēmi, “to put, place”).^[2][3][5] It is related to thèse, from θέσις (thésis, “a placing”).^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The word is first recorded in 1587 as a term of grammar, the transposition of letters or sounds within a word.^[2][6][4] In 1606 Nicot uses metathese in his article on bergier.^[2]

Semantic evolution

The grammatical sense has remained the main one: the shifting of a sound within a word, as when Latin formaticum gave fromage through formage, or Old French forasche became farouche by a shift of vowels.^[7][3] Littré cites blouque for boucle as an old example.^[5]

Medicine took the word in 1747 for moving the cause of a disease from the place where it does harm to one where it does less, as in couching a cataract;^[2][5] English metathesis has this sense from 1696.^[2] In 1840 it entered philosophy for a transposition of the terms of a judgement in Kant's logic, recorded by the Académie's supplement of 1842.^[2][3] Phonetics added métathèse quantitative, the exchange of quantity between two vowels, in 1903.^[3] In chemistry it now names a double-displacement reaction in which two compounds exchange groups.^[1][8]

Timeline

• 1521 – Fabri's Art de pleine rhetorique has the Latin form methatesis.^[2][3]
• 1587 – First record as a grammatical term.^[2][4][9]
• 1606 – Nicot uses metathese in his dictionary.^[2]
• 1747 – James's medical dictionary has the medical sense.^[2]
• 1840 – First used in philosophy, for Kant's transposition of judgements.^[2]
• 1842 – The Académie's supplement records the philosophical sense.^[2][3]
• 1903 – Larousse records métathèse quantitative.^[3]

Meanings

Noun

1. (linguistics) metathesis: the transposition of sounds or syllables within a word, as formage becoming fromage.^[10][2][3]
2. Métathèse quantitative or métathèse de quantité: the exchange of vowel length between two vowels of a word.^[3][1]
3. (medicine) Moving the cause of a disease from one part of the body to another where it does less harm.^[2][5]
4. (logic) In Kant's logic, a transposition of the terms of a judgement from which another judgement is drawn by immediate inference.^[2][5]
5. (chemistry) A reaction in which two compounds exchange ions or groups, especially the olefin metathesis.^[1][8]

Word family

• métathétique

Related words

• thèse
• Latin metathesis
• Ancient Greek μετάθεσις (metáthesis)

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 k l m n o p q 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 j k Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
4. ^ a b c Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
5. ^ a b c d e f Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 6/2, 58a
7. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
8. ^ a b Wiktionnaire (French Wiktionary), fr.wiktionary.org
9. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
10. ^ Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert