Etymologically
Log in

rallier

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 17 October 2026 at 21:12. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ʁa.lje/[1]

Forms

rallier[1] Old French ralier, raloier, rallier from about 1210.[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is formed from allier (“to unite”) with the prefix re-,[5][2][6][7][8] after the sense of “allier” “to unite (by a treaty)”.[7] “Allier” is inherited from Latin alligō (“to bind to”), from ligō (“to bind”).[7]

English rally is from the Old French and Anglo-Norman “ralier”.[9]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Chanson de Roland (about 1100) Roland sone son gresle pur les siens ralier, sounds his horn to gather his men again.[4][5]

Semantic evolution

The verb kept the military sense of regathering scattered troops (Villehardouin's li fuiant se ralierent) and in hunting that of calling back hounds, whence the cry rallie ! (1794) and the hunting society rallie (1866).[4][10][6] At the end of the 14th century Eustache Deschamps uses it for winning over to a cause; it later meant “to reconcile” (1549) and “to bring into agreement” (1829), and se rallier à “to come round to”.[5][10]

In sailing it means to rejoin (a ship, a fleet, Thomas Corneille, 1694) and to bring a ship closer to the wind (rallier le vent, 1835), and rallier son poste passed into general use.[5][10][3] The derivative ralliement gave mot de ralliement (1721) and point de ralliement.[10] The pseudo-anglicism rallye goes back to rallie-papier, built on the hunting rallie.[10]

Timeline

  • c. 1100 – Ralier in the Chanson de Roland.[5]
  • c. 1210 – The spelling rallier.[3]
  • Late 14th century – “To win over”, in Eustache Deschamps.[5]
  • 1573 – “To gather (things)”.[10]
  • 1694 – “To rejoin”, in Thomas Corneille.[5]
  • 1721 – Mot de ralliement.[10]
  • 1794 – The hunting cry rallie !.[10]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To rally, regroup (scattered troops, ships): rallier ses soldats.[6][11]
  2. To unite for a cause; to win over: rallier les mécontents, rallier tous les suffrages.[6][12]
  3. To rejoin (a group, a post): rallier son unité.[6][12]
  4. (hunting) To call back (hounds).[6][4]
  5. (nautical) To rejoin (a ship); rallier le vent: to sail closer to the wind.[4][3]
  6. (reflexive) Se rallier à: to come round to, join: se rallier à un avis.[1][6]

Word family

  • ralliement
  • rallié
  • allier
  • lier
  • rallye
  • English rally

References

  1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  3. ^ a b c d Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  4. ^ a b c d e Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  5. ^ 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
  6. ^ a b c d e f g Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  7. ^ a b c Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  8. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 5, 326b
  9. ^ Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  11. ^ Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
  12. ^ a b Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)