recruter

Forms

recruter^[1]

Etymology

It is an irregular derivative from French recrue (“reinforcement, recruit”).^[2][3][4] The noun is the feminine past participle of recroître “to grow again”, used as a noun, and belongs to the family of croître, from Latin crēscō (“to grow”).^[2][5][6] The ⟨t⟩, against the analogy of the noun, made the verb a condemned neologism in the 17th century.^[7][2]

Littré reports a different explanation by Gaston Paris: an Old French verb recluter “to patch” (1341), from which Italian reclutare and Spanish reclutar would come, was altered through its likeness to the noun.^[7] The modern dictionaries derive the verb from the noun.^[2][4][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first recorded in 1691 in a letter from Racine to his son, meaning “to bring a body of troops up to strength”: Racine counts it among “certain terms that are worth nothing” and recommends faire des recrues instead.^[2][3][4]

Semantic evolution

Despite Racine's criticism the verb established itself;^[7] Littré notes that by his time it was fully accepted.^[7] From completing a troop it came to mean forming a troop by levying recruits (1770, Raynal) and enlisting men.^[8][9]

Figuratively, from 1829 (Béranger), it means to bring people into an association or party, and it took the general value “to engage” in 1835.^[2][4] The derivative recrutement has been used in the field of employment since 1893.^[4] Littré also records a technical sense in dyeing, to add fresh ingredients to the dye.^[7]

Timeline

• 1691 – Racine criticizes recruter in a letter to his son.^[2][3]
• 1770 – Raynal uses it for forming a troop.^[8]
• 1771 – Recruteur is recorded.^[2][4]
• 1789 – Recrutement is recorded.^[2]
• 1829 – Béranger uses it of drawing people into a party.^[2]
• 1835 – The Académie records it with the sense “to engage”.^[8][4]

Meanings

Verb

1. To form or complete (a troop) by levying men, to enlist (soldiers): recruter une armée.^[9][2]
2. (figurative) To bring (people) into a group such as a party, an association or a company, to recruit or hire: recruter des bénévoles.^[9][2]
3. Se recruter: to be recruited, to be drawn from a group: ses membres se recrutent parmi les anciens élèves.^[9][7]
4. (dyeing, obsolete) To add fresh ingredients to a dye bath.^[7]

Word family

• recruteur
• recrutement

Related words

• recrue
• croître
• Latin crēscō

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ 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
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 Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ Picoche, Jacqueline (1991), Dictionnaire étymologique du français, Paris: Le Robert (Les Usuels du Robert)
6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 2, 1327a
7. ^ a b c d e f g Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
8. ^ a b c Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
9. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert