rabattre

Forms

rabattre^[1] Old French rabatre.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is formed from French re- + abattre.^{[3][4][1][5][6]} The base verb comes from Vulgar Latin *abbattuō, a compound of battuō (“to beat”) with ad-, expressing an action carried through to its end.^[5] Littré cites Walloon rabatt.^[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

Wace's Roman de Rou (1170) has it as “to knock down again, throw to the ground”.^[3] Rey describes the early verb, written rabatre, as meaning “to knock down again” or serving as an intensive of abattre.^[2]

Semantic evolution

From the money sense of abattre came “to take off, deduct” (about 1225 for a reduction in price), with the derived noun rabat “price reduction” in 1260, a sense later taken by rabais.^[3][2] Figuratively en rabattre meant to give up part of one's claims (early 15th century, Alain Chartier).^[3]

The sense “to bring low” was used figuratively of pride from 1450 (rabatre orgueil), and rabattre le caquet “to take someone down a peg” is recorded from the 15th or 16th century.^[3][2] In fencing rabatre son cop (1450) was to parry a blow by beating the enemy's blade down.^[3] Technical uses followed: pressing a seam flat (1669), cutting back a tree (1771), filling in furrows (1798).^[3]

In the 16th century it took the hunting sense of driving game towards the hunters, the source of rabatteur.^[2][8] The pronominal se rabattre “to turn off one's way” is recorded in 1671,^[3][2] and in the 20th century it came to mean, of a car, to pull back into the lane after overtaking.^[2]

Timeline

• 1170 – Wace uses it for “knock down again”.^[3]
• c. 1225 – Gautier de Coinci uses it for taking something off a price.^[3]
• 1260 – The noun rabat “price reduction” is recorded.^[2]
• early 15th century – En rabattre “to lower one's claims” in Alain Chartier.^[3]
• 1450 – Rabatre orgueil “to humble pride” and the fencing sense appear.^[3]
• 1480 – Recorded for “to bring down, make descend”.^[3]
• 1560–1574 – Charles IX's treatise on stag hunting uses it of hounds.^[3]
• 1669 – Used for pressing a seam flat.^[3]
• 1671 – Se rabattre “to turn off one's way” is recorded.^[3][2]
• 1771 – Rabattre un arbre “to cut a tree back” is recorded.^[3]

Meanings

Verb

1. To take off or deduct part of a sum: rabattre dix euros sur le prix.^[8][1]
2. En rabattre: to lower one's claims or give up one's illusions.^[8]
3. (arboriculture) To prune back a tree or plant by cutting off its top or main branches.^[8][1]
4. To bring down sharply, force down: le vent rabattait la pluie sur la route.^[8][3] Figuratively, rabattre le caquet à quelqu'un, to humble them.^[8][1]
5. To fold down or shut: to turn down a collar, close a lid or a visor.^[8][1]
6. (knitting) To bind off stitches.^[8][1]
7. (hunting) To drive game towards the hunters.^[8][2]
8. Se rabattre: of a vehicle or runner, to swerve sideways, especially to pull back in after overtaking.^[8][1]
9. Se rabattre sur: to fall back on something for want of better: faute de taxi, elle s'est rabattue sur le métro.^[8][1]

Word family

• rabat
• rabattable
• rabatteur
• rabattement

Related words

• abattre
• battre
• rabais
• rabaisser

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s 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 Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 24, 20a
7. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert