Etymologically
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prier

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /pʁi.je/[1]

Forms

prier[1] Old French preier, proiier; the infinitive prier (about 1112) was remade after the stressed forms je prie.[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French preier, inherited from Late Latin precāre (6th century), from classical Latin precārī (“to pray, entreat”),[2][3][4][5] a derivative of prex (“request, prayer”).[2][3] The Latin noun belongs to the Indo-European root Proto-Indo-European *preḱ- (“to ask”), also seen in poscō (“to demand”), German fragen (“to ask”) and Sanskrit पृच्छति (pṛcchati, “he asks”).[3][6]

The infinitive and the forms stressed on the ending were remade after those stressed on the stem.[2][4] Cognate with Italian pregare, Occitan pregar and Catalan pregar.[6][7] English pray is from Old French “preier”.[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Sequence of Saint Eulalia (881) has Tuit oram que por nos degnet preier “let us all pray that she deign to pray for us”, of invoking God.[2][8]

Semantic evolution

About 980 it already meant “to ask”, outside religion,[2][3] and the courtesy formula je vos an pri is in Chrétien de Troyes (1176–1181), with se faire prier “to need coaxing” about 1170.[2] Froissart (1400–1405) uses prier de for “to invite to”, and prier à dîner survives.[2][3] In Old French prier usually had a direct object (prier Dieu), while the act of praying itself was orer, from Latin orare, prier displaced orer in the 15th century.[4][2]

The present participle priant named a figure at prayer (1472) and a kneeling funeral statue (1551).[2][3] The compound prie-Dieu dates from 1603.[4]

Timeline

  • 881 – Preier in the Sequence of Saint Eulalia.[2]
  • c. 980 – “To ask” in the Jonas fragment.[2]
  • c. 1112 – The infinitive prier.[9]
  • c. 1170 – Se faire prier in Chrétien de Troyes.[2]
  • 1400–1405 – Prier de “to invite to” in Froissart.[2]
  • 15th century – Prier replaces orer.[2]
  • 1603 – Prie-Dieu.[4]

Meanings

Verb

  1. (intransitive) To pray: prier pour les morts.[6][10]
  2. (transitive) To pray to (God, a saint): prier Dieu.[6][11]
  3. To ask, beg (someone to do something): je vous prie de m'excuser, je vous en prie: please; don't mention it.[9][1]
  4. Se faire prier: to need coaxing, sans se faire prier: willingly.[2][3]
  5. (formal) To invite: prier qqn à dîner.[3][2]

Word family

  • prie-dieu
  • prière
  • priant
  • prieuse

References

  1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q 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 Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b c d e 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. 9, 337a
  6. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  7. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
  8. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  9. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  10. ^ Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)
  11. ^ Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)