soumettre

Forms

soumettre^[1] Old French suzmetre, summetre, souzmetre;^[2][3] Middle French soubzmettre (early 15th century) and the Latinised submettre (1373), which competed with soumettre until the late 16th century.^[2][3] The form soumettre is found about 1380.^[2][4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French suzmetre, inherited from Latin submittō (“to send under, to place under”).^[5][6][2][7] Before the first texts the Latin prefix sub- was replaced by the corresponding preposition, Latin subtus (“under”), French sous.^[2][7][5] The Latin verb is a compound of mittō (“to send”), the source of mettre.^[2][5] Wiktionary adds that it displaced the borrowed Middle French submettre.^[1]

Cognate with Italian sottomettere, Spanish someter, Portuguese someter and Old Occitan sotzmetre.^[7][8]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found as suzmetre in the Oxford Psalter (first half of the 12th century), meaning “to bring into dependence by force”:^[5] chi suzmet mun pople suz mei, “who subdues my people under me”.^[8]

Semantic evolution

In the 12th century it meant to bring a people or a country into subjection, and with à to impose one's authority on someone; the reflexive se soumettre à (about 1155) is “to yield to”.^[2] Soumettre quelqu'un à “to oblige someone to obey a law or carry out an act” follows about 1190, and was used of things from before 1662.^[2][5] Old French senses such as “to throw down” (1197) and Middle French sousmettre de “to accuse of” (about 1360) did not last.^[2]

Intellectual uses arrive in the 16th century: soumettre “to put forward for examination” (1580, Montaigne), with soumettre une question (1761, Voltaire).^[5][2] At the end of the 16th century it took the concrete sense “to subject something to an operation or action”.^[2][5] The participle fille soumise (1828–29) was a term for a registered prostitute.^[5]

Timeline

• First half of the 12th century – Suzmetre appears in the Oxford Psalter.^[5]
• c. 1190 – Soi suzmetre a “to bind oneself to obey” in Guernes de Pont-Sainte-Maxence.^[5]
• 1373 – The Latinised spelling submettre is recorded.^[2]
• c. 1380 – The form soumettre appears.^[2][4]
• 1580 – Montaigne uses soubmettre for submitting to examination.^[5]
• 1625 – D'Aubigné uses soubsmettre for subjecting to an operation.^[5]
• 1761 – Voltaire writes soumettre une question.^[2]
• 1828–29 – Fille soumise “prostitute” is recorded.^[5]

Meanings

Verb

1. To subdue, to bring under one's authority, especially by force: soumettre une province révoltée.^[9][5]
2. Soumettre à: to make someone subject to a law, rule or obligation.^[9][5]
3. To submit something to someone's judgement or examination: soumettre un projet au conseil.^[9][8][1]
4. To subject something or someone to an action or a treatment: soumettre un métal à une forte chaleur.^[9][5]
5. (reflexive) Se soumettre: to yield, to obey: se soumettre à la décision du jury.^[9][5]

Word family

• insoumis
• soumis

Related words

• mettre
• sous
• Latin submittō

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 m n Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
4. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q 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
6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 12, 345b
7. ^ a b c Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
8. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
9. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert