obombrer

Forms

obombrer^[1] Old French obumbrer; the spelling obombrer is recorded from 1552, in Robert Estienne.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin obumbrō (“to shade, overshadow; to darken, conceal”).^[4][5][3][2] The Latin verb is formed from ob- and umbrō (“to cast a shadow”), from umbra (“shadow”).^[2][5][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found in Philippe de Thaon's Bestiaire (1121–1134), in the figurative sense “to cover with its shadow”, said of the Holy Spirit.^[4][5] The GLLF reads the passage as “to engender by the action of the Holy Spirit”.^[2]

Semantic evolution

The concrete sense “to cover with a shadow” is recorded in Jean de Meun about 1265 and as veue obumbree “sight covered by a shadow” about 1355.^[3][2][4] The figurative sense “to eclipse someone's influence” appears in Jean Lemaire de Belges (1512 for the TLFi and the DHLF, 1503 for the GLLF).^[4][5][2]

Overshadowed by the more common ombrer, the verb was rare before the 19th century and survives only in literary style, chiefly in the past participle obombré.^[5][7] Littré gives it as a term of mystical language.^[6] Balzac used it in 1837 for “to hide, to cover”.^[2]

Timeline

• 1121–1134 – First record in Philippe de Thaon's Bestiaire.^[4][5]
• c. 1265 – Jean de Meun uses obumbrer for “to cover with shadow”.^[3][2]
• c. 1355 – Veue obumbree in Guillaume de Digulleville.^[4]
• 1512 – Jean Lemaire de Belges uses it for “to eclipse”.^[4][5]
• 1552 – The spelling obombrer appears in Robert Estienne.^[2][3]
• 1837 – Balzac uses it for “to hide, to cover”.^[2]

Meanings

Verb

1. (literary) To cover with a shadow, to shade.^[4][7][1]
2. (mystical) To cover with one's shadow so as to protect: L'ange obombrait l'enfant de ses ailes.^[4][6]
3. (figurative) To darken, to obscure, or to eclipse.^[7][6][1]

Related words

• ombre
• ombrer
• Latin umbra

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 Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
3. ^ a b c d e 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 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
5. ^ a b c d e f g Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ a b c d Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
7. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert