noircir

Forms

noircir^[1] Old French nercir and neircir, Picard noirchir; the spelling noircir is found about 1200.^[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Vulgar Latin *nigriciō, an alteration of Latin nigrēscō (“to become black”), from niger (“black”).^{[2][3][5][4][1]} Bloch and Wartburg compare éclaircir and Old Occitan negrezir, and note that in the Gallo-Romance dialects the verb has often been remade or replaced by rivals such as mâchurer.^[5]

Littré instead saw an irregular derivative of noir, like the technical verb claircir, and argued that the Latin inchoative would have given a verb in -aître, as naître comes from nāscor; he notes that Walloon neûrî is regularly formed.^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

About 1130 the Paraphrase of the Song of Songs uses it transitively for “make black” (Ellest nercidet); the intransitive “become black” follows in Wace's Conception Notre-Dame about 1145.^[2]

Semantic evolution

Noircir drove out its Old French rivals noirçoier, noirdir and noirir.^[3] From the 12th century it was used figuratively of a face darkening with grief or emotion (1160–1174, Wace), and transitively for “to sadden” (1176–1181, Chrétien de Troyes).^[2][3] The pejorative sense “to belittle” (about 1225) gave way to dénigrer, while noircir kept “to slander, defame” (about 1470, Chastellain), especially in noircir la réputation de quelqu'un (1592).^[2][3] Middle French se noircir “to make oneself odious” (1470) has been lost.^[3]

The reflexive se noircir “to become black” is recorded by Estienne in 1549.^[2][3] Noircir du papier, “to write”, with a disparaging shade, appears in Boileau in 1698.^[2][3] In familiar speech se noircir has meant “to get drunk” since 1918, in connection with être noir.^[3]

Timeline

• c. 1130 – Nercir “to make black” in the Paraphrase of the Song of Songs.^[2]
• c. 1145 – Wace uses it intransitively, “to become black”.^[2]
• 1160–1174 – Wace uses it of a face darkening with grief.^[2][3]
• c. 1200 – The spelling noircir appears in Aliscans.^[2]
• c. 1470 – Chastellain uses it for “to slander”.^[2][3]
• 1549 – Estienne records se noircir.^[2]
• 1698 – Boileau writes noircir d'insipides papiers.^[2]
• 1918 – Se noircir “to get drunk” is recorded.^[3]

Meanings

Verb

1. (intransitive) To become black or darker.^[7][6]
2. (transitive) To make black, to colour or coat with black, to blacken.^[7][2]
3. (literary) To slander or defame someone, to blacken a reputation.^[7][3]
4. To depict something in a pessimistic way.^[7]
5. (familiar) Noircir du papier: to write, especially at length and to little purpose.^[6][2][3]
6. (reflexive, familiar) Se noircir: to get drunk.^[1][3]

Word family

• noircissement
• noircissure
• noircisseur

Related words

• noir
• noirceur
• Latin niger
• dénigrer

References

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