refondre

Forms

refondre^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from French re- + fondre.^{[2][3][4][1][5]} The verb fondre is from Latin fundō (“to pour, make flow”).^[3]

Littré compares Walloon rifond, Occitan refondre, Spanish refundir and Italian rifondere.^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Roman d'Eneas (about 1160) the steel of a sword is said to have been melted ten times and refonduz ten times, that is, melted again.^[2] The Grand Robert and the GLLF date this text to about 1130.^[4][7]

Semantic evolution

Besides melting a metal again, the verb soon meant recasting a metal object to form it anew: Rutebeuf uses it about 1265 of a bell's clapper.^[2] Coins were melted down and recast in the same way.^[6][7]

A figurative sense, “to transform completely”, is recorded by Robert Estienne in 1549 (refondre les gens).^[2] In the 16th century Montaigne speaks of recasting the whole state, and La Noue of people who would have to be remade from scratch to lose their passions.^[6] From Bossuet (1678–1679) the verb means to rework a text by blending its parts into a better whole, now its main figurative use.^[2][8][9] Technical senses followed in etching (1832) and papermaking (1842).^[2] The noun refonte is derived from it in 1594.^[3][8]

Timeline

• c. 1160 – The Roman d'Eneas uses refondre of a sword's steel melted again.^[2]
• c. 1265 – Rutebeuf uses it of recasting a bell's clapper.^[2]
• 1549 – Robert Estienne records the figurative refondre les gens.^[2]
• 1594 – First record of the noun refonte.^[3][8]
• 1678 – Bossuet uses it of reworking texts.^[2]
• 1832 – It appears as a term of etching.^[2]
• 1842 – The Académie's supplement records a papermaking sense.^[2]

Meanings

Verb

1. To remelt a substance, to melt a metal again to improve it or to cast it.^[2][9][10]
2. To recast a metal object: refondre des monnaies.^[9][6][7]
3. (figurative) To rework a text or work thoroughly, recast it: une édition entièrement refondue.^[9][11]
4. (figurative, dated) To change someone's character or habits from top to bottom.^[6]
5. (intransitive) To melt again, to turn liquid once more.^[9]

Word family

• refonte

Related words

• fondre
• fonte
• Latin fundō

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m 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 Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
4. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 3, 864b
6. ^ a b c d e Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
7. ^ a b c Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
8. ^ a b c 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. ^ Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
11. ^ Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)