Etymologically
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plaisanter

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /plɛ.zɑ̃.te/[1]
  • IPA: /ple.zɑ̃.te/[1]

Forms

plaisanter[1]

Etymology

It is formed from French plaisant + -er (1531),[2][3][4][5][1][6] on the adjective plaisant;[7] Bloch and Wartburg list it in the family of plaire, whose old infinitive plaisir continues Latin placeō (“to please”).[7] Wiktionary notes that it gradually replaced Old French gaber (“to joke, mock”).[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Le Doyen's Annales de Laval (1531) use it for “to jest, do something to amuse”.[2][4]

Semantic evolution

Furetière (1690) records the sense “not to speak seriously”, and the Académie (1718) the transitive plaisanter quelqu'un “to tease without malice”.[2][4] En voilà un qui ne plaisante pas is in Reybaud (1842), and Littré records vous plaisantez ! and une personne avec qui on ne plaisante pas (1869).[2][4] The 16th century also had a reflexive se plaisanter de “to make fun of”, and the noun plaisanteur was much used then.[6] plaisanterie dates from 1538 and plaisantin from 1530.[7]

Timeline

  • 1530 – plaisantin.[7]
  • 1531 – First record, Annales de Laval.[2]
  • 1538 – plaisanterie.[7]
  • 1690 – “Not to be serious”, Furetière.[2]
  • 1718 – Plaisanter quelqu'un, Académie.[2]
  • 1869 – Vous plaisantez !, Littré.[2]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To joke, jest, say amusing things: aimer à plaisanter, plaisanter sur quelque chose.[5][1]
  2. Not to be serious: vous plaisantez !, you're joking!, une personne avec qui on ne plaisante pas, a strict, unbending person.[5][4]
  3. (transitive) To tease, make fun of gently.[2][5]

Word family

  • plaisanterie
  • plaisantin

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 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. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b c d e Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  5. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  6. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  7. ^ a b c d e Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France