rappeler

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ʁa.ple/^[1]

Forms

rappeler^[1] Old French rapeler; the Académie wrote rappeller in 1694 and 1718, rappeler from 1740.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is from French re- + appeler.^[4][5][1][6] “Appeler” is inherited from Latin appellō (“to address, call”).^[7] The noun rappel is derived from it (1260).^[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is found in the Chanson de Roland (about 1100) meaning “to make someone come back by calling”: qui ques rapelt, ja nen retorneront.^[3][8]

Semantic evolution

In the 12th century it was used of God calling someone to Him, that is, letting them die (Dieu l'a rappelé), and of calling a person again (about 1170, Chrétien de Troyes); about 1245 it meant recalling an exile.^[3][5] Later uses include rappeler à la vie (Racine, 1670), recalling troops (1802) and an ambassador (1854), and calling an actor back on stage (1839).^[3][9]

The sense “to bring back to memory” is found once in the 13th century and again from the 1640s; the reflexive se rappeler “to remember” appears in Molière (1661).^[3] Se rappeler de, modelled on se souvenir de, is found from 1769 and was long condemned.^[9][1] In 1744 it took the sense “to resemble, call to mind” (Voltaire), and in the 20th century “to call back on the telephone”.^[3][2] English took rappel, the abseiling technique, from French in 1931.^[10]

Timeline

• c. 1100 – “To call back”, in the Chanson de Roland.^[3]
• c. 1245 – “To recall from exile”, in Philippe Mousket.^[3]
• 1260 – The noun rappel.^[7]
• 1661 – Se rappeler “to remember”, in Molière.^[3]
• 1744 – “To call to mind by resemblance”, in Voltaire.^[3]
• 1769 – Se rappeler de.^[9]
• 1854 – Rappeler un diplomate, in Tocqueville.^[3]

Meanings

Verb

1. To call back; to make return: rappeler son chien.^[5][11]
2. To recall from a post: rappeler un ambassadeur; to call up reservists.^[5]
3. To call again, especially on the telephone; to call back.^[12][1]
4. To remind: rappeler quelque chose à quelqu'un.^[1][5]
5. To bring to mind by resemblance: ce paysage rappelle la Bretagne.^[3]
6. Dieu l'a rappelé à lui: he has died (euphemism).^[5][11]
7. Se rappeler: to remember.^[1]
8. (climbing) To pull a rope through.^[1]

Related words

• rappel
• rappelé
• appeler
• appel
• English repeal

Usage notes

Se rappeler quelque chose is the standard construction, se rappeler de, after se souvenir de, is common but still condemned by purists, though accepted before a personal pronoun.^[1][9]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l 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 c d e f Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 25, 30a
7. ^ a b c 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 c d Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF
10. ^ Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
11. ^ a b Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)
12. ^ Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)