projeter

Forms

projeter^[1] Old French porjeter, purjeter;^[2][3][4] Middle French pourjecter, then projecter in the 16th century.^[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is a refashioning, with the Latin prefix prō-, of Old French porjeter (“to throw out, far, forward”), formed from Old French puer (“forward, far away”) + jeter (“to throw”).^[2][5][6][7] The adverb puer, unstressed por, is from Latin porro (“forward, further”).^[2][5] From the 15th century the prefix por-, pour- was latinised, which brought the verb into line with projection.^[2][5] Bloch and Wartburg see the Old French verb as formed on the model of Latin prōiciō (“to throw forth”),^[5] and Wiktionary says the Old French verb owed something to the same Latin word, since the two prefixes were nearly always interchangeable;^[1] the Grand Robert and the Petit Robert compare Late Latin projectāre.^[8][9]

Earliest recorded meaning

Old French purjeter is found in the Psautier de Cambridge (about 1120) meaning “to throw out, cast away”.^[6][3][2] The modern verb begins with Middle French pourjecter in accounts of 1386–1394, “to draw up a first statement (of accounts)”.^[4][2]

Semantic evolution

About 1400 pourjeter took the military sense “to form a precise idea of something by reconnaissance”, whence Froissart's pourjeter une embusque “to lay an ambush”.^[5][10] In the 15th century it acquired its general sense “to conceive a plan”, first recorded in 1452 of a building, while the prefix was latinised.^[5][4][10] This sense goes back to the abstract use of jeter in phrases such as jeter sentence and to its sense “to make a draft” (1334).^[2] In the 16th century it also meant “to set down in writing beforehand” (1569).^[4][2]

The physical sense “to throw forward with force” appears with Buffon (1774), and its figurative use “to project (an idea) outside oneself” with Victor Cousin (1829).^[4] Geometry used it from 1762 for drawing a projection, recorded by the Académie.^[4][6] Its use for casting light or an image onto a surface dates from 1788, and onto a screen from 1932.^[6] Psychology later took it up for attributing one's own feelings to someone else.^[9]

Timeline

• c. 1120 – Purjeter “to throw out” appears in the Psautier de Cambridge.^[6][3]
• 1334 – Jeter is used for drafting a letter or treaty.^[2]
• c. 1360 – Froissart writes of preparing an ambush with pourjeter.^[6][5]
• 1386–1394 – Pourjecter des comptes “to draw up accounts” is recorded.^[4]
• 1452 – A charter uses it of planning a building.^[4][10]
• 1569 – Martin du Bellay writes projecter les points et articles.^[4][11]
• 1762 – The Académie records the sense in geometry.^[4]
• 1774 – Buffon uses it for throwing forward with force.^[4]
• 1788 – Barthélemy uses it for casting light or a shadow.^[6]
• 1829 – Cousin uses it for projecting an idea into the outer world.^[4]

Meanings

Verb

1. To throw forward with force, to hurl: projeté à terre^[9][4][1]
2. (geometry) To draw the projection of a point, line or surface on a plane.^[9][11]
3. To cast light, a shadow or an image on a surface; to show a film or photographs.^[9]
4. (psychology) To attribute to someone else a feeling or state one has oneself.^[9]
5. To plan, to intend: projeter un voyage, projeter d’aller.^[9][1]

Word family

• projet

Related words

• jeter
• projection
• Old French porjeter

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ a b c d Tobler, Adolf; Lommatzsch, Erhard (1925–2002), Altfranzösisches Wörterbuch, 11 vols., Berlin / Wiesbaden / Stuttgart: Weidmann / Steiner
4. ^ 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
5. ^ a b c d e f g Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
6. ^ a b c d e f g Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
7. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 5, 21b
8. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
9. ^ a b c d e f g Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
10. ^ a b c Godefroy, Frédéric (1881–1902), Dictionnaire de l'ancienne langue française et de tous ses dialectes du IXe au XVe siècle, 10 vols., Paris: Vieweg / Bouillon
11. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette