rechercher

Forms

rechercher^[1] Old French recercer (about 1100), recerchier (about 1160) and recherger (late 13th century).^[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French recerchier, formed from Old French re- + cerchier (“to go round, to look for”).^[1][4][2][5] The simple verb, the ancestor of chercher, is from Late Latin circō (“to go round”), from Latin circā (“around”).^[6] The spelling with ⟨ch⟩ in both syllables follows the simple verb, whose first consonant was assimilated to the second in the 16th century.^[6][2] Littré compares Italian ricercare.^[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found about 1100 in the Chanson de Roland as recercer, meaning to go over a place searching it: Rolant s'en torne, le champ vait recercer (“Roland turns away and goes to search the field”).^[4][7]

Semantic evolution

About 1160 recerchier meant “to go about searching”, and in 1216 “to be in quest of something”.^[3][4] The legal senses “to prosecute” (1559, Amyot) and “to inquire into someone's actions” (1636, Monet) followed.^[4] In the 16th century it also came to mean to seek in marriage (1550), to solicit someone (1572), to try to obtain (1588, Montaigne) and to study or examine (1578).^[4]

The past participle recherché took the senses “affected, unnatural” (1580, Montaigne) and “sought after, whose company is wanted” (1666, Molière), and later “rare”.^[4][8] Rey notes that the verb mostly intensifies the senses of the simple verb and only rarely means “to look for again”.^[8] Its deverbal noun recherche (1508) became the word for scientific research.^[8][6]

Timeline

• c. 1100 – Recercer appears in the Chanson de Roland.^[4][2]
• c. 1160 – Benoît de Sainte-Maure writes recerchier “to go about searching”.^[2][3]
• 1216 – Guillaume le Clerc uses it for “to be in quest of” in Fergus.^[4]
• 1508 – The noun recherche is first recorded.^[6][8]
• 1550 – Amyot uses it for seeking a woman in marriage.^[4]
• 1559 – Amyot uses it for “to prosecute”.^[4]
• 1580 – Montaigne uses recherché “affected”.^[4][8]
• 1636 – Monet records the modern spelling and the sense “to inquire into someone's actions”.^[4][3]
• 1666 – Molière uses recherché “sought after”.^[4]

Meanings

Verb

1. To search for carefully or methodically, to try to find (a thing or a person): rechercher une clé perdue, il est recherché par la police.^[9][10]
2. To try to find out, investigate: rechercher l'origine d'une panne.^[9][10]
3. To look for again.^[4][1][7]
4. To come back for, fetch (someone or something left for a while): je reviendrai rechercher les enfants à midi.^[9][4]
5. To seek, try to obtain: rechercher la gloire.^[9][10]
6. To seek the company or friendship of (someone).^[9][10]
7. (law, dated) To inquire into someone's conduct, to prosecute.^[7][4]

Word family

• recherche

Related words

• chercher
• Italian ricercare
• English research

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
3. ^ a b c d Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q 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. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 2, 697a
6. ^ a b c d Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
7. ^ a b c d Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
8. ^ a b c d e Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
9. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
10. ^ a b c d Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)