Etymologically
Log in

rompre

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 18 October 2026 at 14:15. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ʁɔ̃pʁ/[1]

Forms

rompre[1] First written rumpre (about 980); rompre from the 11th century.[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French rompre, inherited from Latin rumpō (“to break, burst”), used in Latin of physical breaking as well as of breaking off.[4][2][5][6] The nasal infix of the Latin present stem is peculiar to Latin; the root, with a /p/ beside /b/, is Indo-European, seen in Old English rēofan (“to break, tear”), Gothic 𐍂𐌰𐌿𐍀𐌾𐌰𐌽 (raupjan) and Sanskrit रुप्यति (rúpyati).[2]

Cognate with Italian rompere, Spanish romper, Portuguese romper, Catalan rompre, Occitan rompre and Romanian rupe.[7][8] Meyer-Lübke notes that in the dialects of northern France it has been almost entirely ousted by casser.[8]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Clermont Passion (late 10th century) it means to break, smash; the Chanson de Roland has it for splitting in two by force (1100).[4][2]

Semantic evolution

The sense “to break” was usual until the 17th century, then gave way to briser and above all casser;[2] rompre now stresses a deliberate act or has a literary tone.[2] Wace has it for tearing (about 1155) and for breaking an agreement, and, from about 1210 it meant to put an end to a state or situation, as in rompre le silence.[4][2] Intransitive “to break off relations” is in Oresme (1370).[4]

Many phrases date from the 16th and 17th centuries: Calvin's biblical rompre le pain (1541), rompre les oreilles (1549), rompre la glace (1601), rompre des lances (1612) and rompre en visière (1648).[4][2] Old à tout rompre “at the most” (1527) gave applaudir à tout rompre (1768).[4][2] In the army rompre les rangs is from 1807, and rompez ! “dismiss!” came to mean “go away”.[2][9] Rompre someone was to break them on the wheel (1659).[2]

Timeline

  • Late 10th century – Rumpre, in the Clermont Passion.[4][2]
  • c. 1155 – “To break (an agreement)”, in Wace.[4]
  • 1253 – Rompre une terre, to plough fallow land.[4]
  • 1370 – “To break off relations”, in Oresme.[4]
  • 1541 – Rompre le pain, in Calvin.[4]
  • 1601 – Rompre la glace.[4]
  • 1659 – “To break on the wheel”.[2]
  • 1768 – Applaudir à tout rompre.[2]
  • 1807 – Rompre les rangs.[2][9]

Meanings

Verb

  1. (literary) To break, snap: rompre le pain, se rompre le cou.[7][10]
  2. To break (something flexible): rompre ses amarres, (figurative) rompre ses chaînes.[7][10]
  3. To interrupt, put an end to: rompre le silence, rompre un contrat.[7][1]
  4. (intransitive) To break off relations: rompre avec.[11][1]
  5. (intransitive, sport) To step back, give ground (fencing, boxing).[4][12]
  6. Rompre les rangs: to fall out, rompez !, dismiss![2][1]
  7. Applaudir à tout rompre: to applaud wildly, rompre la glace, to break the ice.[10][7]

Word family

  • rompu

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 p Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  3. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ 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
  5. ^ Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 10, 565b
  7. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  8. ^ a b Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
  9. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  10. ^ a b c Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)
  11. ^ Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
  12. ^ Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF