Etymologically
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menacer

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /mə.na.se/[1]

Forms

menacer[1] Old French manecier (about 1120) and menacier (about 1160); menacer from 1380.[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French menacier, inherited from Vulgar Latin *mināciō, from Latin minācia (“threat”) (see menace).[2][4][5][1] The Vulgar Latin verb replaced classical minor (“to threaten”) in that sense; the classical verb, which meant properly “to jut out”, survived in the sense “to lead” (see mener).[2][4] The Reichenau glosses have “manatiat” for “minatur” “he threatens”.[2]

Cognate with Italian minacciare, Romanian amenința, Catalan menassar, Spanish amenazar and Portuguese ameaçar.[2][6] Littré gives Walloon manesî.[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Cambridge Psalter (first half of the 12th century) has manachad eals, translating minavit eos “he threatened them”.[2]

Semantic evolution

Menacier quelqu'un de with an infinitive, threatening someone with an act, is in the Couronnement de Louis (about 1135).[2] About 1200 a thing could threaten too, in manecier trebuchement “to threaten to fall”, menacer ruine “to be on the verge of collapse” is recorded by the Académie in 1694, after Montaigne's menaçant sa ruyne.[2][3][7] A proverb of the 15th century says menacez vivent, et decollez meurent “the threatened live and the beheaded die”.[7] The adjective menaçant is said of the weather in Rousseau (1762).[2]

Timeline

  • c. 1120 – Manecier, in the Cambridge Psalter.[2][3]
  • c. 1135 – Menacier de with an infinitive.[2]
  • c. 1160 – Menacier, in the Roman d'Eneas.[2]
  • c. 1200 – Of a thing, “to threaten (to happen)”.[2]
  • 1380 – The form menacer.[2][5]
  • 1694 – Menacer ruine, in the Académie dictionary.[3]
  • 1762 – Temps menaçant, in Rousseau.[2]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To threaten, try to intimidate: menacer quelqu'un de mort, menacer de with an infinitive.[8][1]
  2. Of a thing, to endanger, be a danger to.[8][1]
  3. Of a thing, to be likely to happen or about to: l'orage menace, menacer ruine, to be on the point of collapse.[8][3]

Word family

  • menaçant
  • menace
  • mener
  • Latin minācia

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 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 Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  4. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  5. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  6. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
  7. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  8. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert