Etymologically
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promener

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /pʁɔm.ne/[1]

Forms

promener[1] Old French pourmener, pormener (about 1150); pourmener was still current beside promener in the 17th century.[2][3]

Etymology

It is a remaking of Old French pourmener (“to lead about”), formed from pour and mener, after the many verbs beginning with “pro-”.[2][4][5] Littré derived it instead from a Latin “prominare”, and Wiktionary mentions a less likely Vulgar Latin *prōmināre (“to drive forward”).[3][1] The verb “mener” is from Vulgar Latin mināre (“to drive (animals) with shouts”), classical Latin minārī (“to threaten”).[4][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

Pourmener “to lead, make go to various places” is in the Roman de Thèbes (about 1150);[2] a Lorraine psalter of 1365 has qui moinnes et promoinnes Joseph comme une berbis “who leadest Joseph about like a sheep”.[2]

Semantic evolution

The reflexive se promener “to go for a walk, stroll” appears about 1485,[2][7] and the intransitive promener in the same sense in Palsgrave (1530).[2] La Noue (1587) “promenades” his hatred about, and, from the 17th century one promène one's eyes or hand over something.[2][3]

Molière's envoyer promener (1665) and Madame de Sévigné's allez vous promener (1676) mean “to send packing”;[2][8] va te promener ! is recorded in 1815.[8] The derived promenade dates from 1557 and promeneur from about 1560.[4]

Timeline

  • c. 1150 – Pourmener in the Roman de Thèbes.[2]
  • 1365 – Promoinnes in a Lorraine psalter.[2]
  • c. 1485 – Se promener “to stroll”.[2]
  • 1557 – Promenade.[4]
  • 1665 – Envoyer promener in Molière's Dom Juan.[2]
  • 1676 – Allez vous promener in Sévigné.[8]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To take (someone) for a walk or an outing: promener son chien, promener un ami dans Paris.[7][9]
  2. To carry about, often to show off; to send (someone) from place to place for nothing.[7][1]
  3. To move (something) back and forth over a surface: promener ses doigts sur, promener son regard: to let one's eyes wander.[7][9]
  4. Envoyer promener: to send packing.[10][2]
  5. (reflexive) Se promener: to go for a walk, stroll.[1][7]

Word family

  • promenade
  • promeneur
  • promenoir
  • mener

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 k l m 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 Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  4. ^ a b c d Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  5. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 6/2, 109a
  7. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  8. ^ a b c Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF
  9. ^ a b Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)
  10. ^ Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)