Etymologically
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remarquer

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ʁə.maʁ.ke/[1]

Forms

remarquer[1] Middle French remerchier (1376), remerquier, remerquer (about 1393), remarcher (1465); remarquer from 1549.[2][3]

Etymology

It is from French re- + marquer, with an intensive “re-”.[2][4][5] “Remarquer” is the Norman-Picard form that replaced Old French “remerchier” and “remerquer” under the influence of marquer, itself the Norman-Picard counterpart of Old French “merchier”, derived from “merc” “mark”.[2][4] Bloch and Wartburg derive “merchier” from Old Norse merki (“mark”); its ⟨a⟩ they put down to the verb marcher and perhaps to Italian marcare.[6][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Livre du roy Modus et de la royne Ratio (1376) uses remerchier in hawking, of watching where a partridge hides after it has taken off.[2][8]

Semantic evolution

In Robert Estienne's dictionary (1549) remarquer means to fix one's eyes or attention on something, taking over this use from marquer.[2][4] To single out a person among others is found in 1585, and se faire remarquer, first “to distinguish oneself” (Vaugelas, 1653), became disparaging, “to draw attention to oneself”, about 1893–1899.[2][4][3] Like observer, it came to mean to say, point out (Pascal, 1657–62); the factitive faire remarquer que (Voltaire, 1767) replaced this use.[2][4] The sense “to mark again” (Cotgrave, 1611) remained rare.[2][4]

Timeline

  • 1376 – Remerchier, in hawking.[2]
  • 1547–55 – Remarquable.[4]
  • 1549 – Remarquer, in Robert Estienne.[2]
  • 1579 – Remarque.[4]
  • 1585 – To single out a person, Noël du Fail.[2]
  • 1611 – “To mark again”, Cotgrave.[2]
  • 1653 – Se faire remarquer, Vaugelas.[2]
  • 1767 – Faire remarquer que, Voltaire.[2]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To notice: remarquer une tache, je n'ai rien remarqué, remarquer que.[9][10][1]
  2. To single out, distinguish among others: il l'avait remarquée au bal.[3][9]
  3. To remark, observe, point out: faire remarquer une erreur, remarquez, ….[3][1]
  4. Se faire remarquer: to draw attention to oneself, often disparagingly.[3][1]
  5. (rare) To mark again.[11][2]

Word family

  • remarque
  • remarquable
  • remarquablement
  • marquer
  • marque

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o 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 e Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  5. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  6. ^ Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  7. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 16, 555a
  8. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  9. ^ a b Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  10. ^ Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)
  11. ^ Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)