révision

Forms

révision f (plural révisions)^[1] Old French resvision (1298); the spelling revision, later révision, from 1611.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Late Latin revīsiō (“a revisiting, revision”).^[4][2][3][1] The Late Latin noun is formed on revīsus, the supine of revīsō (“to look back at, revisit”).^[3][5] Littré instead derives it from the supine of the verb behind revoir.^[6] The verb réviser belongs to the same Latin family.^[4][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record, from 1298 in a document of the Grenier collection quoted by Godefroy, has the sense “examination, inspection”.^[4][5] Old French knew only this sense, which has since gone out of use.^[2]

Semantic evolution

The modern sense, in which re- means “again”, began in law: Estienne records revision de procès “a fresh examination of a lawsuit” in 1549,^[4][2] and by the late 18th century Fontenelle used the word for the review of a case by a higher court.^[4][2] From 1611 it meant examining something again in order to improve it, and it was applied to amending legal texts (1690), to constitutions (1835) and to electoral rolls (1875).^[2][5]

In the 17th century it also came to mean going over a written work to correct it (1659 in Chapelain, 1679 in Bossuet),^[4][5] whence the printing term revision des épreuves (1797).^[4][2] In these uses the noun answers to the verb revoir more than to réviser.^[2] In the army, the conseil de révision examined conscripts (recorded in 1825 and 1835), and la révision alone named that examination by 1856.^[4][2][5] In the 20th century the word was extended to going over a course of study before an examination (1907) and to the servicing of a machine or engine.^[4][2][5]

Timeline

• 1298 – Resvision “examination, inspection” appears in a charter.^[4][2]
• 1549 – Robert Estienne records revision de procès.^[4][2]
• 1611 – Cotgrave records révision “re-examination with a view to improvement”.^[5][2]
• 1659 – Chapelain uses it of revising a written work.^[4]
• 1690 – Furetière applies it to the amendment of a legal text.^[5]
• 1797 – Revision des épreuves appears in printing.^[4][2]
• 1835 – Conseil de révision, the board examining conscripts, is recorded in Michelet's journal.^[4]
• 1875 – First record of the revision of electoral rolls.^[2][5]
• 1907 – Alain-Fournier uses it for going over a syllabus before an examination.^[4]

Meanings

Noun

1. A re-examination of a text, rule or policy in order to amend it: révision de la Constitution.^[7][8]
2. (law) The review by a higher court of a final judgment challenged on new evidence: pourvoi en révision.^[7][4]
3. The correction and improvement of a text, especially the checking of printer's proofs.^[7][8]
4. (dated) The medical examination of conscripts, held by the conseil de révision.^[4][5]
5. The periodic servicing and overhaul of an engine, machine or vehicle.^[8][5]
6. The act of studying a subject again before an examination, revision: faire ses révisions avant le bac.^[8][4]

Word family

• révisionnel

Related words

• réviser
• revoir
• Latin revīsiō

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 l m n o Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ a b c d Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r 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. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
6. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
7. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
8. ^ a b c d Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)