Etymologically
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rassurer

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 18 October 2026 at 14:01. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ʁa.sy.ʁe/[1]

Forms

rassurer[1] Old French raseürer (about 1155), rasseürer (about 1175); rasseurer in the Académie dictionary of 1694 and 1718, rassûrer in 1740, rassurer from 1762.[2][3]

Etymology

It is from French re- + assurer.[3][4][2][5][1] assurer continues Vulgar Latin *assēcūrō (“to make safe”), from sēcūrus (“safe, secure”).[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

Wace's Roman de Brut (1155) uses it for giving or restoring confidence to someone.[3][2] The pronominal se raseürer “to calm down” is recorded in 1165.[4][7][8]

Semantic evolution

The prefixed verb specialized in this sense and, from the 17th century took it over from assurer, so that the two verbs are now quite separate in meaning.[8][6] Amyot (1559) has rassurer quelqu'un de quelque chose, to dispel someone's fear about something, a classical construction.[2][5] The concrete sense “to make firm, steady again” (1476, of a building) and “to make safer” (16th century) have been abandoned.[3][8] The participle rassurant means “reassuring”.[1]

Timeline

  • 1155 – “To give back confidence”, in Wace.[3]
  • 1165 – Se raseürer “to calm down”.[4][8]
  • 1476 – “To consolidate”, of a building.[3]
  • 1559 – Rassurer quelqu'un de quelque chose, in Amyot.[2]
  • 1762 – The Académie spells it rassurer.[3]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To reassure, restore someone's confidence or peace of mind: rassurer un enfant qui a fait un cauchemar.[7][1]
  2. (reflexive) Se rassurer: to stop being afraid, calm down, rassurez-vous, don't worry.[7][1]
  3. (classical) To make firm, steady again.[2][3]

Word family

  • rassurant

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f 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 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. ^ a b c Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  5. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  6. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  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 Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert