questionner

Forms

questionner^[1] Old French questioner and the Anglo-Norman questiuner.^[2]

Etymology

It is formed from French question + -er: the sense “to ask questions” is derived from question in its usual sense, and the old sense “to torture” from the noun in its legal sense of judicial torture.^[3][1][4] The noun is from Latin quaestiō (“search, inquiry”), from quaerō (“to seek”).^[5] Littré compares Old Occitan questionar and Italian questionare.^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

About 1190 the Roman de Renart has Et je si le questionai, De gramaire li demandai, “and I questioned him, I asked him about grammar”: to ask someone questions.^[3][6]

Semantic evolution

In 1321 the verb is found in the sense “to put to the question”, to torture a prisoner to obtain a confession; the DHLF dates this sense to 1349.^[3][7] It fell out of use together with the corresponding sense of question, though the GLLF still records it in classical French, in Voltaire.^[7][8] Bloch and Wartburg note that the verb was rare before the 17th century.^[5]

It gave questionneur (1554) and the learned questionnement (early 18th century); the DHLF notes that no noun names the act of questioning someone in the general sense.^[7] In Anglo-Norman the verb is recorded from the early 13th century.^[2]

Timeline

• c. 1190 – First record, in the Roman de Renart, “to ask questions”.^[3]
• 1321 – Used for subjecting someone to torture.^[3]
• 1349 – The DHLF's date for the sense “to torture”.^[7]
• 1554 – The derivative questionneur is recorded.^[7][5]
• early 18th century – Questionnement appears.^[7]

Meanings

Verb

1. (transitive) To ask (someone) a series of questions; to interrogate: Le juge questionne le témoin sur son emploi du temps.^[9][3][6]
2. (intransitive) To ask questions, sometimes importunately.^[9][6]
3. (reciprocal) Se questionner: to ask each other questions.^[9][6]
4. (transitive) To call into question.^[1]
5. (obsolete) To subject to torture to obtain a confession.^[8][3]
6. (Louisiana) To ask (someone); intransitively, to inquire.^[1]

Word family

• questionneur
• questionnement

Related words

• question
• questionnaire
• Latin quaestio

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)
3. ^ a b c d e f g 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
4. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ a b c 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 Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
7. ^ a b c d e f Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
8. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
9. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert