punir

Forms

punir^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin pūniō (“to punish, chastise, avenge”).^[2][3] The TLFi gives it as from Latin and adds that, because it appears relatively late, it may also have been borrowed from Latin, as the FEW suggests;^[4] Wiktionary treats it as inherited.^[1] The Latin verb, also spelled poeniō, with /u/ from the diphthong /oe/, is related to poena (“penalty”), the source of peine.^[2][4] Rey notes that a direct derivative of the noun would have been a first-conjugation verb, and mentions an influence of mūniō or a derivation from impūnis (“unpunished”).^[2]

Cognate with Italian punire, Occitan punir and Spanish punir.^[5][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first recorded in 1260 in Étienne Boileau's Livre des métiers, meaning to inflict a penalty on someone for an offence;^[4][2] the GLLF cites the Chevalerie Ogier at the end of the 12th century.^[7]

Semantic evolution

The verb has kept its basic meaning “to inflict a punishment”, used of persons and then absolutely in law (13th century), for “to impose a penalty by judgement”.^[2][7] From about 1240 it was also used with an offence as object, “to sanction by a penalty”.^[2][7] With a thing as subject it means “to strike (someone) with a harm that serves as a sanction” (about 1278, Jean de Meun).^[2][4] The phrase être puni par où l'on a péché is recorded by the Académie in 1835, and the ironic sense “to repay badly” comes from Corneille (1647).^[2][7]

Timeline

• c. 1240 – Used with an offence as object (Philippe de Novare).^[7][2]
• 1260 – Punir qqn in Étienne Boileau.^[4]
• 1269–1278 – Jean de Meun writes punir qqn de qqc.^[4]
• 1637 – Absolute use in Corneille's Le Cid.^[4]
• 1647 – “To repay badly”, in Corneille's Héraclius.^[4]
• 1835 – Être puni par où l'on a péché in the Académie's dictionary.^[7][2]

Meanings

Verb

1. To punish someone for a crime or offence.^[8][9]
2. To sanction (an offence) with a penalty.^[8][4]
3. (of a thing) To strike someone with an ill seen as a punishment.^[2][7]
4. (literary) To repay someone badly for a kindness.^[4][7]

Word family

• punissable
• punisseur

Related words

• peine
• punition
• impuni
• Latin poena

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 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, 600a
4. ^ 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
5. ^ Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
6. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
7. ^ 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
8. ^ a b Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
9. ^ Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)