monter

Pronunciation

• IPA: /mɔ̃.te/^[1]

Forms

monter^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French monter, inherited from Vulgar Latin *montō, from mōns (“mountain”) (accusative “montem”), whence mont.^{[2][3][4][5][1]} In Gallo-Romance it replaced classical Latin ascendō (“to climb”), helped by its expressiveness and the large family of “mont”, “ascendere” survives in Italian ascendere, Spanish ascender and Old French “ascendre”.^[3][4]

Cognate with Italian montare, Occitan montar, Catalan muntar, Spanish montar and Portuguese montar.^[6][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

At the end of the 10th century the Passion of Clermont uses it for moving upwards to a higher place, and also for mounting an animal.^[2]

Semantic evolution

About 1100 monter alone meant “to mount a horse”, and monter à cheval dates from 1538.^[2] About 1140 it meant to rise in society, and monter en ire “to grow angry” is from 1174.^[2][3] Of things, it meant “to increase” (about 1100), “to rise” of water (about 1155) and “to amount to” (1255–71).^[2] Wine monte à la tête from 1178.^[2]

Transitive uses followed: to climb (a slope) about 1140, to put on horseback (about 1155), and later to take up, to assemble and to stage (a play), and in 1918 to edit a film.^[2][8] Monter à l'assaut is from 1680, and monter à Paris “to go up to Paris”, from anywhere in France, from the 20th century.^[2][3] In African French monter means to go on duty, and in Quebec to go upstream on the Saint Lawrence.^[3]

Timeline

• Late 10th century – Monter in the Passion of Clermont.^[2]
• c. 1100 – Absolute monter “to mount a horse”.^[2]
• c. 1140 – To rise in society; transitive “to climb”.^[2]
• 1174 – Monter en ire.^[2]
• 1255–1271 – “To amount to”, in Rutebeuf.^[2]
• 1680 – Monter à l'assaut.^[2]
• 1786 – Monter a mountain, in Saussure.^[8]
• 1918 – To edit a film.^[8]

Meanings

Verb

1. To go up, climb: monter au grenier, monter l'escalier.^[9][1]
2. To get on or into: monter dans le train, monter à cheval, to ride.^[1][2]
3. To rise, increase: les prix montent, la mer monte.^[2][1]
4. To rise in rank: monter en grade.^[3]
5. To take up, carry up: monter les bagages; to turn up: monter le son.^[1]
6. To assemble, set up: monter un meuble, monter une tente; to set (a gem).^[1][2]
7. To stage, organise: monter une pièce, monter une affaire.^[1]
8. Monter quelqu'un contre: to set someone against.^[2][3]

Word family

• montant
• montée
• monteur
• monture
• montage
• démonter
• remonter
• surmonter
• monte-charge

Related words

• mont
• montagne
• ascension

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i 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 r 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 Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
5. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 6/3, 106a
6. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
7. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
8. ^ a b c Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF
9. ^ Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert