Etymologically
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mêler

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /mɛ.le/[1]
  • IPA: /me.le/[1]

Forms

mêler[1] Old French mescler (about 980), mesler (late 11th century, still in the Académie of 1718); mêler from 1740.[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French mesler, inherited from Late Latin misculō (attested in the 9th century), an extended form of Latin misceō (“to mix; to stir up”).[4][2][5][1][6] The root of “miscēre” is Indo-European, as in Ancient Greek μίσγω (mísgō, “to mix”) and German mischen.[2][7]

Cognate with Italian mischiare, Occitan mesclar, Spanish mezclar and Portuguese mesclar.[7][8]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Passion of Clermont (about 980) has mescler “to mix several things together”.[4][2]

Semantic evolution

In the Chanson de Roland it means to pick a quarrel, and, from the 12th to the 14th century it was used for setting people against each other.[4][2] About 1180 it is used for feelings joined together (ire est mellee od amur, Thomas's Tristan), and se mêler “to get confused” (1180–90) survives in Canadian French, elsewhere replaced by s'emmêler.[4][2]

Se mêler de “to concern oneself with” is from about 1160, and in the mid-13th century took the sense “to meddle”, mêler les cartes “to shuffle” is in Madame de Sévigné.[4][3] Mêler qqn à “to involve someone in” is from 1538.[2]

Timeline

  • c. 980 – Mescler “to mix”, Passion.[4]
  • c. 1100 – To quarrel, Chanson de Roland.[4]
  • c. 1160 – Se meller de “to deal with”.[4]
  • mid-13th century – “To meddle”.[4]
  • 1538 – To involve (someone).[2]
  • 1740 – The spelling mêler.[4]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To mix, blend, combine: mêler des couleurs, mêler la gaieté à la tristesse.[7][1]
  2. To mix up, jumble; to shuffle (cards).[1][3]
  3. To involve (someone in something): être mêlé à un scandale.[2][7]
  4. Se mêler à: to mingle with, join.[7]
  5. Se mêler de: to meddle in, interfere with: mêle-toi de tes affaires.[1][4]

Word family

  • mélange
  • mêlée
  • emmêler
  • démêler
  • méli-mélo

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  3. ^ a b c Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  4. ^ 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
  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. 6/2, 158a
  7. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  8. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette