reposer

reposer¹ to rest

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ʁə.po.ze/^[1]

Forms

reposer^[1] Old French repauser (10th century), respelt reposer after pose (about 1050).^[2][3]

Etymology

The verb “to rest” is inherited from Late Latin repausō (“to calm; to rest”) (4th century), from the intensive re- and Late Latin pausō (“to cease, stop”) (see poser), from pausa (“stop, pause”) (see pause).^{[2][4][3][5][6][1]}

Compare Italian riposare, Old Occitan repausar, Spanish reposar and Portuguese repousar.^[2][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

The 10th-century Fragment de Valenciennes has E repauser se podist “and he could rest”; from the first texts se reposer means to stop working or moving so as to recover from fatigue.^[7][2]

Semantic evolution

The intransitive “to lie at rest” (about 1050, Vie de saint Alexis) is now literary, and the transitive “to rest (the body)” is from about 1112.^[2][3] About 1150 it was used of the dead, first of a saint's relics, whence the epitaph ici repose (1690).^[2] With a preposition it expresses being placed on a support, and figuratively being founded on something.^[2][8] Se reposer meant “to calm down” in the early 17th century, se reposer sur qqn is to rely on someone.^[2][1] The noun repos is in the Chanson de Roland.^[4]

Timeline

• 10th century – Repauser, Fragment de Valenciennes.^[7]
• c. 1050 – The form reposer.^[2]
• c. 1080 – Repos, Chanson de Roland.^[4]
• c. 1112 – To rest the body, Voyage de saint Brendan.^[5]
• c. 1150 – Of the dead.^[2]
• 1690 – Ici repose.^[2]

Meanings

Verb

1. Se reposer: to rest, take a rest, se reposer sur, to rely on, se reposer sur ses lauriers, to rest on one's laurels.^[1][2]
2. To rest, relax (the body or mind): reposer ses jambes, cela repose les yeux.^[1][7]
3. (literary, intransitive) To lie at rest; to sleep: il ne dort pas, il repose.^[8][3]
4. (intransitive) Of the dead, to lie, be buried: ici repose…, qu'il repose en paix.^[8][2]
5. (intransitive) Reposer sur: to rest on, be based on.^[1][8]

Word family

• repos
• reposant
• reposoir
• reposée

reposer² to put down again

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ʁə.po.ze/^[1]

Forms

reposer (transitive)^[9]

Etymology

The verb “to put back” is from French re- + poser.^[9][3][8][5] Earlier, “repoisier” meant “to put down” (15th century) and “reposer” “to deposit goods” (Monet, 1636).^[3][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The TLFi first records it in Musset (1831), in the sense “to put down again”; the Grand Robert and the Petit Robert date it to Théophile Gautier (1838).^[9][3][8]

Meanings

Verb

1. To put down again: reposer son verre, (military) reposez arme !, order arms.^[8][9]
2. To put back in place, refit: reposer une moquette.^[8][5]
3. To ask again: reposer la question.^[8]

Word family

• repose

Related words

• poser
• pause
• Latin repausō

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ a b c d e f g Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
5. ^ a b c d e Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 10, 263a
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 f g h i Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
9. ^ a b c d 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