Etymologically
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soulever

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /sul.ve/[1]

Forms

soulever[1] Soslevar (about 980), sozlever (11th century), soslever (about 1130), souslever (13th century); soulever from the 14th century.[2][3]

Etymology

It is formed from French sous- + lever, on the model of Latin sublevō (“to lift up, raise”), from sub- and levō (“to raise”).[4][2][5][3][6][1]

Compare Occitan solevar, Spanish solevar and Italian sollevare.[7][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Clermont Passion (about 980) has soslevar for lifting a heavy object above its support; in the Vie de saint Alexis (about 1050) the saint's covering is lifted: Les dras suzlevet dunt il esteit cuvert.[2][3][7]

Semantic evolution

It came to mean “to make rise” (1210–30), of dust and, from 1645, of waves raised by the wind.[4][2] Chrétien de Troyes (about 1170) uses it figuratively for “to uplift, exalt”, and Jean Renart (1228) has li cuers l'en souslieve “his heart leaps”.[4][2] From the 16th century the stomach rises: le cœur me soulève “I am disgusted” (1559), soulever le cœur (1660), notre cœur se soulève (1654).[2][4]

Se soulever “to rise in revolt” is in Amyot (1559); soulever “to stir up hostility” is in Corneille (1642) and soulever quelqu'un contre soi in Racine (1669).[4][2] From 1835 it means to raise a question or difficulty, and soulever le voile is to reveal a secret.[4][2] Slang has it for “to steal” (1790, Vidocq, 1828).[4][8]

Timeline

  • c. 980 – Soslevar, Clermont Passion.[2]
  • c. 1050 – Suzlever, Vie de saint Alexis.[4]
  • c. 1170 – Figurative use, Chrétien de Troyes.[4]
  • 1559 – Se soulever “to revolt”, Amyot.[4]
  • 1642 – “To stir up against”, Corneille.[4]
  • 1790 – Slang “to steal”.[4]
  • 1835 – To raise (a question), Académie.[4]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To lift, raise slightly: soulever un fardeau, soulever le couvercle.[9][1]
  2. To raise (dust, waves): le vent soulève la poussière.[9][2]
  3. To stir up, rouse: soulever l'enthousiasme, l'indignation; to stir (people) to revolt.[1][9]
  4. To raise (a question, objection): soulever un problème.[4][9]
  5. Soulever le cœur: to turn the stomach, disgust.[4][9]
  6. Se soulever: to raise oneself; to rise up, revolt.[1][4]
  7. (slang) To steal, pinch; to steal (someone's partner).[8][3]

Word family

  • soulèvement

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  3. ^ a b c d Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p 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. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 5, 274a
  7. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  8. ^ a b Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF
  9. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert