Etymologically
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résumer

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ʁe.zy.me/[1]

Forms

résumer[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin resūmō (“to take up again, resume”),[2][3][4][5] from the iterative re- and sūmō (“to take”), itself from “*sus-emere”, a compound of Latin emō (“to take; to buy”) (see exempt).[3][6][7]

English resume keeps the old sense “to take up again”.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Oresme (1370) uses resumer both concretely, of a thrown stone that cannot be taken back, and for going back over arguments: Donques en resumant nous dirons….[7][2][3]

Semantic evolution

The sense “to repeat (arguments)” lasted, in burlesque style, into the 18th century, and in scholastic disputation it was to restate an argument before answering it.[2][3] From the idea of going over again came “to restate briefly, give the gist” (Furetière, 1690), now the usual sense, and se résumer “to sum up one's words” (1796).[2][3][8] In the 19th century a thing could résumer others, contain them in condensed form (se résumer, Hugo, 1831, Musset, 1838), and se résumer à means “to come down to”.[3][6] The noun résumé dates from 1750–1762, and en résumé from 1803.[3][4]

Timeline

  • 1370 – Resumer in Oresme.[2]
  • 1690 – “To summarise”, in Furetière.[2]
  • 1750 – Résumé “summary”.[3]
  • 1796 – Se résumer.[8]
  • 1803 – En résumé.[3]
  • 1838 – “To embody”, in Musset.[6]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To summarize, sum up: résumer un texte, résumer la situation.[9][1]
  2. To embody, epitomise: une phrase qui résume sa pensée.[6][9]
  3. (reflexive) Se résumer: to sum up (one's words); se résumer à: to come down to.[1][9]

Word family

  • résumé

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f 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 f g h i j Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  5. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 10, 326b
  6. ^ a b c d Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  7. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  8. ^ a b Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF
  9. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert