résistant

Forms

résistant m (plural résistants, feminine résistante)^[1]

Etymology

It is the present participle, used as an adjective and a noun, from French résister.^[2][3][4][5] The verb is from Latin resistō (“to stand facing, withstand”).^[2] Middle French also had résisteur (“one who resists”), from the second half of the 15th century to 1531.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

It first appears as a noun in a royal ordinance of 1355, for those who resist by force: contre les resistens.^[2][4] As an adjective it is found in the 14th century: Son contraire est fort resistant (“its contrary is very resistant”).^[6][7]

Semantic evolution

Made an adjective in the 14th century alongside résistance, it had the physical senses “resisting, cohesive, firm to the touch” and “opposing a force, especially motion”.^[5] Of a person it meant one who opposes something or refuses to comply.^[5] From the early 16th century it also meant one who bears hardship without harm.^[5][3] The Grand Robert finds it rare before the 18th century.^[3]

Of a manufactured thing or a material it means durable (about 1750), and of what withstands time (1875); in electricity, having electrical resistance (1949 in the dictionaries).^[5][7] During the German occupation it took the sense of a member of the Resistance (about 1942, first recorded in 1943).^[5][2]

Timeline

• 1355 – Resistens “those who resist” appears in a royal ordinance.^[2][4]
• 14th century – First used as an adjective.^[6][7]
• 1480 – P. Le Baud uses resistants for those who resist.^[2]
• Early 16th century – Used of a person who bears hardship.^[5][3]
• 1587 – First recorded in the sense “solid”.^[3]
• c. 1750 – Used of materials that resist wear.^[5]
• 1943 – Used of a member of the Resistance.^[2]
• 1949 – The electrical sense enters the dictionaries.^[5][7]

Meanings

Adjective

1. That withstands a force, solid, durable: une corde très résistante.^[4][8][2]
2. (physics) Opposing motion: milieu résistant.^[2][6]
3. (electricity) Having electrical résistance.^[4][5]
4. Of living beings: hardy, enduring.^[8][6]

Noun

1. A person who resists; a member of a resistance movement.^[8][1]
2. (history) A member of the French Resistance during the Second World War.^[8][2]

Related words

• résister
• résistance
• Latin resistō

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 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 Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ a b c d Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
7. ^ a b c d Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
8. ^ a b c d Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)