moquer

Pronunciation

• IPA: /mɔ.ke/^[1]

Forms

moquer^[1]

Etymology

Its origin is obscure.^[2][3][4] The TLFi and Rey see probably an expressive formation, a Romance *mocco on a stem *mokk- expressing contempt, as its Romance correspondents suggest: Venetian mocar (“to mock; to talk idly”), Piedmontese moca (“grimace”), Spanish mueca (“grimace”) and Portuguese moca (“derision”).^[2][3][5][6] Bloch and Wartburg and the Grand Robert also call it an expressive word; the Grand Robert asks whether it is Germanic.^[7][8]

Older explanations meet difficulties: a link with Ancient Greek μωκάομαι (mōkáomai, “to mock”), accepted by Diez and Littré, poses phonetic problems, and one with Old Norse moka (“to shovel dung”) is not well supported in meaning or in its supposed Norman origin.^[2][3][9] Wiktionary derives it from Middle Dutch mocken (“to mumble”) or Middle Low German mucken (“to grumble”).^[1] English mock was borrowed from French.^[7][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Roman de Renart (1174–77) uses it transitively for “to jeer at, make fun of”.^[2][3]

Semantic evolution

The reflexive soi moquer de is found in the 13th century (Isopet de Lyon), and the passive se faire moquer de soi in Robert Estienne (1539); Furetière (1690) says the verb is used only with the reflexive pronoun.^[2][3] Rutebeuf (1267) has se moquer de “to disregard, not care about”, and, from 1538 it also meant “not to speak or act seriously”.^[2][3] Se moquer de with an infinitive, “to refrain from”, is in Montaigne (about 1590), and être mocqué “to be deceived” (1509) went out of use in the 17th century.^[2][3]

Its derivatives are moquerie (1275), which replaced moquement and moqueis, and moqueur (1280).^[3][7]

Timeline

• 1174–77 – Transitive, Roman de Renart.^[2]
• 13th century – Soi moquer de.^[2]
• 1267 – “Not to care about”, Rutebeuf.^[2]
• 1275 – moquerie.^[3]
• 1509 – Estre mocqué “to be deceived”.^[2]
• 1539 – Se faire mocquer de soi, Robert Estienne.^[2]
• c. 1590 – Se moquer de with an infinitive, Montaigne.^[2]

Meanings

Verb

1. Se moquer de: to make fun of, mock, laugh at.^[4][1]
2. Se moquer de: not to care about, make light of: je m'en moque, se moquer comme de l'an quarante.^[4][1]
3. Se moquer du monde: to take people for fools, treat them with contempt.^[4][3]
4. (literary, mostly passive) To ridicule: il se vit bafoué, berné, sifflé, moqué, joué (La Fontaine).^[4][10]

Word family

• moquerie
• moqueur
• moquable

Related words

• English mock

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 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 h i j Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 6/3, 21a
6. ^ a b Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
7. ^ a b c Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
8. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
9. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
10. ^ Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse