permettre

Pronunciation

• IPA: /pɛʁ.mɛtʁ/^[1]

Forms

permettre^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin permittō (“to let go; to entrust; to allow”), adapted after mettre.^[2][3][4][5] The Latin verb is formed from per- and mittō (“to send, let go”); it meant first “to send towards a goal”, then “to let go”, and, with stress on deliberate choice, “to entrust” and “to leave free, allow”.^[3][6] This learned form drove out Old French parmetre.^[3][7]

Cognate with Italian permettere.^[8]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Passion de Clermont (late 10th century) has permetre in the sense “to give leave to say or do something”, an isolated record; the verb reappears in 1357 and is rare before 1410.^[2][3][9]

Semantic evolution

French kept only the Latin sense of giving leave, with a few new shades and constructions in the 16th and 17th centuries.^[3] Il est permis de is recorded in 1538, si Dieu le permet in 1553, the polite permettez-moi que in 1547 and permettez-moi de in 1582.^[2] Palissy (1580) uses it for “to make possible”, and Noël du Fail (1585) for tolerating what one could prevent; the Académie in 1718 adds tolerating what one cannot prevent.^[2]

The reflexive se permettre, “to take the liberty”, is in Amyot (1559), and se croire tout permis in Boileau (1668).^[2] Molière's permis à vous (1669) expressed indifference or contempt, Flaubert's permettez ! (1850s) is a protest.^[2][3] The past participle gave the noun permis, the document that authorizes (1721), as in permis de conduire (1905).^[3]

Timeline

• late 10th century – Permetre in the Passion de Clermont.^[2]
• 1357 – The verb reappears.^[2]
• 1538 – Il est permis de.^[2]
• 1559 – Se permettre in Amyot.^[2]
• 1580 – “To make possible”, in Palissy.^[2]
• 1669 – Permis à vous in Molière's Tartuffe.^[2]
• 1721 – The noun permis.^[3][4]
• 1905 – Permis de conduire.^[3]

Meanings

Verb

1. To allow, permit: permettre quelque chose à quelqu'un, permettre que (with the subjunctive).^[10][11]
2. Il est permis de: it is allowed to.^[2][10]
3. To make possible, enable: si le temps le permet.^[11][1]
4. To tolerate, not prevent.^[10][2]
5. Vous permettez ?: may I?, permettez !: excuse me! (in protest).^[3][8]
6. Se permettre de: to take the liberty of; to afford to.^[1]

Word family

• permis

Related words

• permissif
• permission
• mettre
• Latin permittō

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 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 Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
5. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 8, 251a
6. ^ Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
7. ^ Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)
8. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
9. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
10. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
11. ^ a b Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)