Etymologically
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prendre

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /pʁɑ̃.dʁə/[1]

Forms

prendre[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French prendre, inherited from Latin prēndere (“to seize, grasp”), the contracted form of “prehendere”, itself the usual form of “praehendere”.[2][3][4][1] The verb is a compound of prae (“before”) and a simple verb “*hendere” “to seize”, not found alone, whose root also appears in praeda (whence proie) and hedera (whence lierre).[2][1] Rey posits a double root “*ghed-”, “*ghend-”, compared with Old Norse geta (“to get”), Gothic 𐌱𐌹𐌲𐌹𐍄𐌰𐌽 (bigitan, “to find”) and English forget, and with Ancient Greek χανδάνω (khandánō, “to hold”).[2][5] Wiktionary gives Proto-Indo-European *gʰed-.[1]

“Prendere” was much more forceful than capiō (“to take”) and absorbed most of its senses.[6][2] “Capere” survives only in restricted uses such as Spanish caber “to fit”.[6][2] Cognate with Romanian prinde, Italian prendere, Catalan prendre and Spanish prender “to seize, arrest”.[7][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Strasbourg Oaths (842) have it figuratively in prendre plait “to make an agreement (with someone)”.[8][9] “To take in the hand” is found at the end of the 10th century, in the Passion de Clermont.[8][9]

Semantic evolution

About 1050 prendre meant “to take someone along”, and about 1100 “to seize quickly”.[8] Its range grew to cover eating and drinking (early 14th century; of medicine, 1538), taking a road (about 1210), taking up arms (about 1175) and, intransitively, of fire, cement or a plant, “to catch, to set, to take root”.[9][1] Many phrases followed: prendre en main (1160–74), prendre la balle au bond (1690), prendre ses jambes à son cou (1690) and prendre le taureau par les cornes (1898).[8]

Its derivatives include prise (12th century), entreprendre (12th century) and éprendre (about 1080), used of fire “catching” until the 17th century.[6]

Timeline

  • 842 – Prendre plait in the Strasbourg Oaths.[8]
  • late 10th century – “To take in the hand”.[8]
  • c. 1080 – Éprendre, of fire.[6]
  • c. 1175 – Prendre armes.[9]
  • early 14th century – “To eat, to drink”.[9]
  • 1690 – Prendre la balle au bond in Furetière.[8]
  • 1898 – Prendre le taureau par les cornes.[8]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To take, to seize, to grasp: prendre un livre.[1][9]
  2. To take with one, to pick up: je passe te prendre.[8][1]
  3. To eat, to drink, to have: prendre un café.[1][9]
  4. To get, to buy; to take (a means of transport, a road): prendre le train.[1][9]
  5. To catch, to capture: prendre un voleur.[8]
  6. To take (time): ça prend une heure.[1]
  7. (intransitive) To catch, to set, to take: le feu a pris, la mayonnaise prend.[1]
  8. To come over (someone): qu'est-ce qui te prend ?.[1]
  9. Se prendre: to get caught, s'en prendre à: to blame, to attack.[1]

Word family

  • déprendre
  • entreprendre
  • éprendre
  • méprendre
  • prenable
  • surprendre
  • prise
  • preneur

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  3. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 9, 339b
  4. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  5. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  6. ^ a b c d e Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  7. ^ Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  8. ^ 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
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse