montrer

Pronunciation

• IPA: /mɔ̃.tʁe/^[1]

Forms

montrer^[1] Old French mostrer (about 980), mustrer (1080) and monstrer (12th century); montrer is found about 1225 but is rare before the 16th–17th centuries.^[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French mostrer, inherited from Latin mōnstrō (“to show, point out; to advise”), derived from mōnstrum (“portent, divine sign”) (see monstre).^[5][3][2][6] The ⟨n⟩ was restored after the written Latin form: popular Latin said “mostrare”.^[7][3] In common use the verb lost its religious sense and meant only “to point out, indicate; to advise”.^[3] “Mōnstrum” comes from moneō (“to remind, warn”).^[8]

Cognate with Italian mostrare, Occitan mostrar, Spanish mostrar and Portuguese mostrar; English demonstrate and English muster come from the same Latin verb.^[8][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Its past participle is first found in the 10th-century Sermon on Jonah (qe mostret nos habet “which he has shown us”), meaning “to put before the eyes”; the Chanson de Roland has Les escheles Charlun li ad mustrees “he showed him Charles's battalions”.^[5][2]

Semantic evolution

The reflexive se montrer is found in Wace (1130–1140) and, with a thing as subject, in the 14th century.^[5][3] About 1135 the verb meant “to make visible” (monstre li le visage), and about 1160 “to point out”, as a star shows the way, mostrer au doi (about 1210), the forerunner of montrer du doigt, and montrer les dents (1611) took a scornful or threatening turn.^[5][3] Abstract senses are just as old: “to show signs of, display” from the first records, and se montrer “to prove to be” from 1330.^[3]

Montrer la porte à quelqu'un is recorded by the Académie in 1835 and montrer patte blanche later.^[4][8] Its derivative montre, first a display or review of troops, came to mean a watch in the 16th century.^[7]

Timeline

• 1st half of the 10th century – Mostret in the Sermon on Jonah.^[5][2]
• c. 1100 – Mustrer in the Chanson de Roland.^[5]
• 1130–1140 – Se mostrer in Wace.^[5]
• c. 1210 – Mostrer au doi, in Robert de Clari.^[5]
• c. 1225 – The spelling montrer.^[2]
• 1611 – Montrer la dent.^[3]
• 1835 – Montrer la porte à quelqu'un.^[4]

Meanings

Verb

1. To show, let see, put before someone's eyes: montrer ses papiers.^[8][1]
2. To point to or point out: montrer du doigt, montrer le chemin.^[1][8]
3. To make known, reveal, display: montrer son courage.^[3]
4. To show, prove, demonstrate: l'expérience montre que….^[4]
5. To teach by example: montrer à quelqu'un comment faire.^[4]
6. Se montrer: to appear, show oneself; to prove to be; to show off.^[1][3]

Word family

• montre
• montreur
• remontrer
• démontrer
• remontrance

Related words

• monstre
• Latin mōnstrō

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c d e Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
5. ^ a b c d e f g h 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
6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 6/3, 94b
7. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
8. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert