octroyer

Forms

octroyer^[1] Old French otreier, otrier and otroier.^[2][3] The Anglo-Norman forms include otrier, otreer and octroier.^[4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French otreier, inherited from Medieval Latin auctōrizō (“to authorize”),^[2][3][1] which Bloch and Wartburg treat as a popular Latin derivative of Late Latin auctōrō (“to guarantee”), from auctor (“guarantor”).^[5][6] The spelling with ⟨c⟩ (1372) is a refashioning after the Latin words;^[2][3] the ⟨c⟩ was at first only written, and since early modern French it has also been pronounced.^[1]

Cognate with Italian otriare (archaic) and Old Occitan autreiar; Spanish otorgar continues instead Vulgar Latin *auctōricō.^[5] Doublet of autoriser.^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found about 1100 in the Chanson de Roland, as otreier “to grant”: Tutes vos ames otreit il pareïs “may He grant paradise to all your souls”.^[2][7]

Semantic evolution

Old French used the verb for granting, permitting and consenting, and reflexively s'otroier for giving oneself up to someone.^[7][4] Bloch and Wartburg describe the refashioned octroyer as a word of written language, and above all of the chancery style.^[5]

Today it means “to grant as a favour”, and since 1903 it has been used reflexively, s'octroyer “to allow oneself, to take”; it is at once literary and familiar.^[3] Its derivative octroi named under the old regime a tax that a town had been allowed to levy, and in the 19th century the toll on goods entering a town.^[5][3]

Timeline

• c. 1100 – Otreier appears in the Chanson de Roland.^[2]
• 1150 – The noun otroiement “grant, permission” is recorded.^[2]
• 1372 – Oresme writes octroyer with the Latin ⟨c⟩.^[2][3]
• 1374 – Octroiement is recorded.^[2]
• 1849 – Octroyeur is recorded.^[2]
• 1903 – Reflexive s'octroyer “to allow oneself” is recorded.^[3]

Meanings

Verb

1. (transitive) To grant something to someone, as a favour or a privilege, sometimes with condescension: octroyer un délai à un client.^[8][2]
2. (reflexive) s'octroyer: to allow oneself, to take: s'octroyer quelques jours de repos.^[8][3]

Word family

• octroi
• octroiement
• octroyeur

Related words

• autoriser
• auteur

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j 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 Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)
5. ^ a b c d Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
6. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
7. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
8. ^ a b Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert