sevrer

Forms

sevrer^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French sevrer, inherited from Vulgar Latin *sēperō, recorded in Late Latin, an altered form of Latin sēparō (“to separate”).^{[2][3][4][1][5]} séparer is the learned borrowing of the same Latin verb.^[6][1][7] The TLFi and Bloch and Wartburg note that the special sense “to wean” is found only in French, as Italian scevrare and Old Occitan sebrar lack it, and that it partly explains why the learned verb was borrowed.^[2][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Chanson de Roland (about 1100) it means to cut off a part of the body: Tute la teste li a par mi sevrée “he cut his head right through”.^[2][7]

Semantic evolution

In Old French the verb meant to separate in general, and also to distinguish (about 1150, in Floire et Blancheflor).^[2][3] Se sevrer meant to part, to go away (1165–1170), and sevrer d'Église to excommunicate.^[3] From the 13th century it also meant to deprive someone of something.^[3]

The sense “to wean”, to stop feeding a child or a young animal with milk, is dated about 1200 in Jean Renart's L'Escoufle by the TLFi;^[2] Rey traces it to sevrer de la mamele “separate from the breast” and puts its dominance from the 14th century.^[3] The figurative sense “deprive of a pleasure” came from it,^[3][8] and gardeners used it from 1660 for cutting a layer from its parent plant.^[2][8] The Anglo-Norman form severer passed into English as sever in the late 14th century, keeping the old sense “separate”.^[9][10]

Timeline

• c. 1100 – In the Chanson de Roland, “to cut off”.^[2]
• c. 1150 – In Floire et Blancheflor, “to distinguish”.^[2]
• c. 1200 – In Jean Renart's L'Escoufle, “to wean”.^[2][8]
• c. 1280 – Adenet le Roi has se sevrer de toute joie.^[2]
• late 14th century – English sever appears.^[9]
• 1660 – Oudin records the gardening sense.^[2][8]
• 1741 – First record of sevrage.^[4]

Meanings

Verb

1. To wean: to stop feeding a child or a young animal with milk, little by little, and give it more solid food.^[2][11][7]
2. (horticulture) To cut a layer or graft from the parent plant once it has taken.^[11][7]
3. (literary) To deprive someone of something pleasant: sevré de tendresse.^[11][8]
4. Se sevrer de: to go without, to abstain from.^[7]

Word family

• sevrage

Related words

• séparer
• Latin sēparō
• English sever

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l 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 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. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 11, 473a
6. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
7. ^ a b c d e Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
8. ^ a b c d e Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
9. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
10. ^ Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)
11. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert