pesant

Forms

pesant (feminine pesante, masculine plural pesants, feminine plural pesantes)^[1] Anglo-Norman spellings include peisant, pesaunt and poisant.^[2]

Etymology

It is the present participle from French peser, used as an adjective and a noun.^[3][4][5][6] The verb comes from Latin pēnsō, a derivative of pendō (“to weigh”).^[6][7]

Bloch and Wartburg note that the noun, as in the phrase for being worth one's weight in gold, has been wrongly taken for an alteration of the Old French besant, a gold or silver coin of Byzantium.^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

From the Chanson de Roland (1080) the participle is an adjective meaning "heavy" and, figuratively, "hard to bear": La bataille est merveilluse et pesant.^[8][4][9]

Semantic evolution

Beside "heavy" the adjective soon expressed something that falls heavily (12th century) or gives a feeling of heaviness.^[8] In the psychological sphere it meant both "grievous" and "sad, distressed" (12th century), senses now gone, as are "indisposed" (13th century), "rich, powerful" (about 1180) and avoir la main pesante (1694).^[8] From about 1360 it was used of a lack of liveliness or grace in the mind or the arts; since 1868 it has also been used of a heavy sea.^[8][10]

As a noun pesant was used from about 1155 in acheter quelque chose son pesant d'or, which has given way to valoir son pesant d'or (1538), valoir son pesant d'argent (about 1460) and in the 20th century jocular variants such as valoir son pesant de cacahuètes.^[8][6] From the 12th century it also meant the legal weight of a coin; since 1508 it has also meant "weight" in general.^[8]

Timeline

• 1080 – The adjective is used in the Chanson de Roland, both literally and figuratively.^[8][4]
• 1121–1134 – Philippe de Thaon uses it as an adverb.^[3]
• c. 1140 – Geoffrey Gaimar uses it as a noun "weight".^[3]
• 1160–1174 – Wace writes sun pesant d'or.^[3]
• c. 1170 – The noun pesanteur is recorded.^[6]
• c. 1460 – Valoir son pesant d'argent is recorded.^[8]
• 1538 – Valoir son pesant d'or is recorded.^[8][6]
• 1680 – Richelet records a technical noun, a weight laid on work to hold it.^[3]
• 1868 – It is used of a heavy sea.^[8]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Heavy, of great weight.^[5][3][1]
2. (science) Subject to gravity: les corps pesants.^[5][3]
3. (figurative) Hard to bear, burdensome or oppressive.^[5][8]
4. Slow and heavy in movement, or lacking grace and liveliness: un style pesant.^[3][8]

Noun

1. (old) Weight; now only in valoir son pesant d'or "to be worth one's weight in gold".^[5][1][8]

Word family

• pesanteur
• appesantir
• pesamment

Related words

• peser
• poids
• Latin pēnsō

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)
3. ^ a b c d e f g h 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
4. ^ a b c Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ a b c d e f Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
7. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 8, 190a
8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
9. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
10. ^ Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse