ranger

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ʁɑ̃.ʒe/^[1]

Forms

ranger^[1] Old French rengier (about 1160), rangier (about 1175); ranger from the 13th century, renger in the 16th.^[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is from French rang + -er.^{[4][2][5][1][6]} The related dérangier (late 11th century) suggests that the simple verb is older than its first record.^[2][7] rang, first renc, continues from Frankish *hring (“circle, ring”), compare German Ring, Bloch and Wartburg think it came in with the sense “assembly, judicial or military”, after the Germanic custom of meeting in a circle (compare harangue).^[7]

Compare Old Occitan rengar.^[8]

Earliest recorded meaning

Benoît de Sainte-Maure's Roman de Troie (about 1165) has rengier for drawing up people in one or more ranks, and the reflexive for forming ranks.^[4]

Semantic evolution

From about 1200 it also meant “to go through, range over” (Aspremont) and, at sea, “to sail along (the coast)” (Amyot, 1559).^[4] The sense “to put in its place, in order” is found in Bonaventure des Périers (1551) and Montaigne (1580), and Madame de Sévigné (1680) uses it for tidying a room.^[4] Malherbe (1611) has ranger au nombre de “to count among”, and Oudin (1660) “to move aside”.^[4][3]

The reflexive took several senses: “to take someone's side” (1381), se ranger sous les drapeaux de (Racine, 1673), “to stand aside to let someone pass” (Molière, 1668), of a ship se ranger à quai (1831), and “to settle down, mend one's ways” (Carolet, 1732, Féraud, 1787).^[4][9]

Timeline

• c. 1165 – Rengier “to draw up in ranks”, Benoît de Sainte-Maure.^[4]
• c. 1200 – “To range over”, Aspremont.^[4]
• 1381 – Se ranger “to take sides”.^[4]
• 1551 – “To put in order”, Bonaventure des Périers.^[4]
• 1611 – Ranger au nombre de, Malherbe.^[4]
• 1668 – Se ranger “to stand aside”, Molière.^[4]
• 1680 – “To tidy (a room)”, Madame de Sévigné.^[4]
• 1732 – Se ranger “to settle down”.^[4]

Meanings

Verb

1. To put away, put in its place; to tidy: rangez vos affaires, ranger sa chambre.^[10][1]
2. To arrange, put in order, classify: ranger des dossiers, ranger parmi, to count among.^[10][4]
3. (dated) To draw up in rows or ranks: troupes rangées, bataille rangée, pitched battle.^[10][1]
4. To park (a vehicle); to move aside.^[1][4]
5. Se ranger: to line up; to stand aside, pull over; to side with: se ranger à l'avis de quelqu'un.^[4][10]
6. Se ranger: to settle down, mend one's ways.^[4][9]

Word family

• rangée
• rangement
• rangeur
• arranger
• déranger

Related words

• rang

Usage notes

The noun ranger, pronounced /ʁɑ̃dʒɛʁ/ or /ʁɑ̃dʒœʁ/, is a separate borrowing (1844) from English ranger in its American use, first a member of a mounted militia, then a park ranger (1869) and a soldier of an elite unit (1947); French alone uses it for a high combat boot.^[2][10][5]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
4. ^ 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
5. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 16, 242a
7. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
8. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
9. ^ a b Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF
10. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert