restreindre

Forms

restreindre^[1] Old French restraindre, the commonest form, beside retraindre and other variants.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin restringō (“to bind back, tighten, restrict”),^[4][5][2][6] with its conjugation adapted to that of the French verbs in ⟨-eindre⟩ such as étreindre.^[2][5][6][1] The Latin verb is formed from re- (“back”) and stringō (“to bind, tighten”).^[2][6][7] Picoche counts it as a semi-learned word in the family of the Indo-European root Proto-Indo-European *streig- (“to press”).^[8]

Littré compares Walloon rastreind, Old Occitan restrenher, Catalan restrenyer, Spanish restriñir and Italian ristringere.^[9]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found about 1135 in the Couronnement de Louis, meaning “to fasten, tie”.^[4][7] Rey gives the senses “to fasten firmly, mend, close up” from about 1130.^[2]

Semantic evolution

Old French used the verb in many concrete senses: “to tighten, press” (about 1155, Wace), “to embrace” (13th century), “to harness, bridle a horse” and “to bandage” (about 1180).^[4][2] Figuratively it meant “to keep a close watch on”, and the pronominal se restreindre meant “to restrain oneself” and “to abstain”, as from idle words about 1200.^[2][4]

Only the sense “to reduce to narrower limits”, first found in Beaumanoir's Coutumes de Beauvaisis (1283), has stayed alive.^[4][2][6] Se restreindre came to mean “to cut down on spending” at the end of the 14th century (Eustache Deschamps), “to become less extensive” in 1567 (Amyot), and se restreindre à “to confine oneself to” in 1700 (Bossuet).^[4] Littré still gave “to tighten” as the literal sense, rarely used, and a medicine that restreint was one that binds.^[9]

Timeline

• c. 1135 – First record, in the Couronnement de Louis, “to fasten”.^[4]
• c. 1155 – Wace uses it for “to tighten, press”, and se restreindre for “to draw tight”.^[4]
• c. 1200 – Se restreindre means “to abstain” (from idle words).^[4]
• 1283 – Beaumanoir uses it for “to reduce to narrower limits”.^[4][6]
• late 14th century – Eustache Deschamps uses se restreindre for “to economise”.^[4]
• 1567 – Amyot uses se restreindre for “to become less extensive”.^[4]
• 1700 – Bossuet writes se restreindre à, “to confine oneself to”.^[4]

Meanings

Verb

1. To make smaller or less, to restrict, limit: restreindre le budget.^[4][10][1]
2. Restreindre à: to confine to narrower limits.^[10][7]
3. se restreindre: to become smaller or less extensive.^[4][10]
4. se restreindre: to cut down one's spending, live more frugally.^[10][9]
5. (rare) To tighten: restreindre un lien.^[9]

Related words

• restreint
• étreindre
• astreindre
• contraindre
• restriction
• restrictif
• strict

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)
4. ^ 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
5. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
6. ^ a b c d e Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
7. ^ a b c Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
8. ^ Picoche, Jacqueline (1991), Dictionnaire étymologique du français, Paris: Le Robert (Les Usuels du Robert)
9. ^ a b c d Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
10. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert