Etymologically
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monter

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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

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