négliger

Forms

négliger^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin negligō (“to disregard, not care about”), a variant of neglegō.^{[2][3][4][5][6]} The Latin verb is formed from legō (“to gather, choose”) with a negative first element, nec (“and not”) according to the Grand Robert and the GLLF.^[3][4] Rey considers it a strengthened form of the negative particle ne seen in negō and negōtium, unless it is a voiced form of the other negation.^[2] Littré glosses the Latin verb as “not to pick up”.^[7] Bloch and Wartburg date the French verb to 1256 and the Grand Robert to 1355, later than the TLFi's first record.^[8][3][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record, about 1200, is the feminine past participle neglicïe, in a text from Liège, in the sense “not taken care of”.^[5][4]

Semantic evolution

In Old and Middle French it meant not to take care of a thing.^[5][2] Bersuire's translation of Livy (1355) also uses it for not taking a thing into account.^[5][2][7] From 1559, in Amyot, it was used of people.^[5][2] The 17th century widened its uses: négliger de with an infinitive (1669, Bossuet), se négliger “to neglect one's appearance” (1671), and “to let slip an opportunity” (1677).^[5][2][4] Mathematicians have neglected small quantities since 1694.^[4]

The past participle négligé became an adjective for a person carelessly dressed (1640) and a noun (1648), and later a light garment worn at home;^[5][2] Madame de Sévigné and Boileau applied it to a loose style (1671, 1674).^[5][2] In the 18th century, with the taste for the natural, the careless look became a merit (un beau négligé, 1762).^[2][5]

Timeline

• About 1200 – The participle neglicïe appears in a text from Liège.^[5]
• 1355 – Bersuire uses it for “to disregard”.^[5][2][4]
• 1559 – Amyot uses it of a person.^[5][4]
• 1640 – Négligé “carelessly dressed” is recorded.^[5][2][8]
• 1669 – Bossuet writes négliger de with an infinitive.^[5][2]
• 1671 – Se négliger is recorded.^[5][2]
• 1677 – It is used of letting slip an opportunity.^[2][4]
• 1843 – The derivative négligeable appears.^[2]

Meanings

Verb

1. To leave without due care or attention: Il néglige son jardin depuis l'été.^[9][4]
2. Se négliger: to stop taking care of one's appearance.^[9][5]
3. Négliger de: to fail to do something: Elle a négligé de répondre à la lettre.^[9][2]
4. To give a person less attention or affection than is due, to neglect: négliger ses amis.^[9][4][7]
5. To take no account of, disregard: négliger un conseil; in mathematics, to leave a small quantity out of a calculation.^[9][4][1]
6. To let slip (an opportunity).^[2][4]

Word family

• négligé
• négligeable

Related words

• négligent
• négligence
• lire¹
• Latin neglegō

References

1. ^ a b c 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 Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ a b c Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l 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 i j k l m n o p q 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. 7, 89a
7. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
8. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
9. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert