ruer

Forms

ruer^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Vulgar Latin *rutō (“to throw”), an intensive formed on rutum, the supine of Latin ruō (“to hurl, overthrow, rush”).^[2][3][4][1] Rey adds that linking the Latin verb with an Indo-European root meaning “to break” is doubtful for reasons of form and sound.^[3]

Bloch and Wartburg compare Piedmontese rudè (“to knock”).^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

About 1120 Benedeit's Voyage of Saint Brendan uses it transitively for “to hurl, throw violently”.^[2]

Semantic evolution

The transitive sense “to throw violently”, with an absolute use “to throw a stone” (about 1180), went out of use in the 18th century except in some regions of the north.^[3][4] The reflexive se ruer “to rush forward” (about 1170) became the usual form,^[2][3] while the intransitive verb lost the sense “to rush” (about 1155) to it and became specialized for a horse or donkey kicking out with its hind legs (from about 1212; the TLFi dates it 1326).^[3][2][5]

Phrases about ways of kicking took on figurative values: ruer en vache (1718), and ruer dans les brancards “to protest, rebel”.^[3] The familiar ruer à tort et à travers (1718) meant to lash out on all sides in a crowd, and se ruer en cuisine (1534, Rabelais) to eat greedily; both are obsolete.^[3]

Timeline

• c. 1120 – Benedeit uses it for “to hurl”.^[2]
• c. 1155 – Wace uses the intransitive verb for “to rush forward”.^[5]
• c. 1170 – Chrétien de Troyes uses the reflexive se ruer.^[2]
• c. 1180 – The absolute sense “to throw a stone” appears.^[3][5]
• c. 1212 – It is said of a horse kicking with its hind legs.^[3][5]
• 1534 – Rabelais has se ruer en cuisine “to eat greedily”.^[3]
• 1718 – The Académie records ruer en vache and ruer à tort et à travers.^[3][5]
• 18th century – The transitive sense “to hurl” goes out of general use.^[3]

Meanings

Verb

1. (intransitive) Of a horse, mule or donkey: to kick out with both hind legs.^[6][7][8]
2. Ruer dans les brancards: to rebel, resist.^[7][3]
3. (reflexive) Se ruer: to rush, throw oneself forward violently, especially in a crowd: les supporters se ruèrent vers le stade.^[8][7]
4. Se ruer sur something: to rush to get it.^[8]
5. (transitive, archaic) To hurl, throw with force.^[8][2][1]

Word family

• ruade
• ruée
• rueur
• ruement

Related words

• ruine
• Latin ruō

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g 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 f g h i j k l m Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, 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. ^ Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
7. ^ a b c Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)
8. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert