Etymologically
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mordre

Etymology and origin of the French word mordre

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Inherited
First attested
c. 1100, Chanson de Roland
Inherited from
Latin *mordo via Old French
Ultimate origin
Latin (mordeō)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /mɔʁdʁ/[1]

Forms

mordre[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French mordre, inherited from Vulgar Latin *mordō, with a short /e/ in the infinitive, an alteration of classical mordeō (“to bite; to sting, vex”).[2][3][4][5][6] The popular form is required by Italian mordere and by Spanish morder, Catalan morder and Portuguese morder;[3][2] Littré noted that the supine and perfect of the Latin verb fit a verb of that type better, and thought the Romance form might be an archaic one kept in popular speech.[7] Rey finds no Indo-European root meaning “to bite”; the Latin verb can only plausibly be compared with Sanskrit मर्दति (mardati, “he crushes”).[3]

Cognate also with Occitan mordre.[8][9]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Chanson de Roland (about 1100) it means to bite into with the teeth: a boar bites a man's right arm.[2][7]

Semantic evolution

Benoît de Sainte-Maure uses it figuratively about 1165, of the pangs of love.[2][3] The Roman de Renart has mordre à “to fall for (a bait)” (1205–1250), made explicit in mordre à l'appât (about 1600) and La Fontaine's mordre à l'hameçon (1669).[2][3] In the 13th century it also meant “to criticize, carp at”, now dated, and avoir prise sur “to take hold, bite” (1268), said of pincers in 1314.[2][3] Rabelais has mordre à for understanding a subject (1532).[2]

Se mordre la langue “to regret having spoken” is from 1566 and mordre la poussière “to be killed in battle” from Malherbe;[3][10] Monet records se mordre les doigts in 1636.[3][10] The technical sense of an acid or a file biting into metal is in Furetière (1690), and mountaineers used it from 1787 of crampons and nails that grip.[2][11] The past participle mordu came to mean “passionately fond” (1876), and as a noun a fan, les mordus du cross (1927).[3]

Timeline

  • c. 1100 – “To bite”, in the Chanson de Roland.[2]
  • c. 1165 – Figurative use, in Benoît de Sainte-Maure.[2]
  • 1205–1250 – Mordre à “to take the bait”, in the Roman de Renart.[2]
  • 1268 – “To take hold, grip”.[2]
  • 1532 – Mordre à “to understand”, in Rabelais.[2]
  • 1566 – Se mordre la langue.[3]
  • 1669 – Mordre à l'hameçon, in La Fontaine.[2]
  • 1876 – Mordu “madly keen”.[3]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To bite: to seize and press with the teeth so as to wound or hold: son chien a mordu le facteur.[8][12]
  2. (absolute) To be given to biting: ce chien mord.[8]
  3. Of an insect or snake, to bite or sting.[8]
  4. To take hold, grip; of an acid, to eat into: mes crampons usés ne mordaient plus.[10][11]
  5. Mordre à l'hameçon: to take the bait, ça mord, the fish are biting.[1][8]
  6. Mordre sur: to encroach on, overlap.[1][8]
  7. Mordre la poussière: to bite the dust, s'en mordre les doigts, to regret it bitterly.[8][1]

Word family

  • mordant
  • mordiller
  • démordre
  • mordu
  • remordre

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 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 k Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  5. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 6/3, 126b
  7. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  8. ^ a b c d e f g Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  9. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
  10. ^ a b c Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  11. ^ a b Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF
  12. ^ Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Mordre.” Etymologically, 18 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/mordre. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

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