stratégie

Forms

stratégie f (plural stratégies)^[1]

Etymology

It was first borrowed from Late Latin strategia (“military government of a province”) in the 16th century,^[2][3] and was borrowed again at the beginning of the 19th century from Ancient Greek στρατηγία (stratēgía, “command of an army”), a Greek word that also meant the qualities of a general and a ruse of war.^[2][3] The GLLF leaves open whether the modern word came from the Latin, the Greek or both.^[4] The Greek noun is from στρατηγός (stratēgós, “general”) (see stratège).^[3][5] Picoche lists it among the learned words of the 19th century with stratégique.^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the 16th century strategie meant the military government of a Roman province, in Du Pinet's translation of Pliny, recorded by Godefroy's Complément;^[3] Rey dates this sense to 1562, and it went out of use.^[2]

Semantic evolution

The modern word appears in 1803 (the date Bloch and Wartburg give), then in Boiste's dictionary of 1808 as the science of the movements of an army at a distance from another, and in Mozin's in 1812, as the art of moving an army over a theatre of operations until it meets the enemy.^[2][3][4] In this sense it is opposed to tactique, used of operations carried out in sight of the enemy.^[2][5] From 1876 it also names the part of military science that concerns the general conduct of a war and the defence of a country.^[2][4]

A figurative use is cited by Dochez in 1859–60 from Charles de Rémusat and Villemain.^[3] Rey describes it as a metaphor of the military sense at first, which became a settled meaning only later, as in stratégie électorale.^[2] English strategy (1810) comes from the French word and directly from the Latinized Greek one.^[7] The derivative stratégiste is first recorded in Michelet in 1831.^[3]

Timeline

• 1562 – Strategie is used for the military government of a province.^[2][8][9]
• 1803 – The modern military sense appears.^[2][8][9]
• 1808 – Boiste defines it as the science of an army's movements.^[3]
• 1810 – English strategy is recorded.^[7]
• 1812 – Mozin's dictionary has it as the art of moving an army in campaign.^[4][2]
• 1831 – Michelet uses stratégiste.^[3]
• 1859–60 – Dochez records the figurative use.^[3]
• 1876 – The sense “general conduct of a war” is recorded in Larousse.^[4][2]

Meanings

Noun

1. (military) The art of moving an army in a campaign up to the moment it meets the enemy, as opposed to tactics.^[9][10][3]
2. The part of military science that deals with the general conduct of a war and the defence of a country: stratégie atomique, stratégie navale.^[9][10]
3. (figurative) The art of planning coordinated actions to reach a goal: stratégie électorale.^[10][9][2]

Word family

• stratégiste

Related words

• stratège
• stratégique
• stratagème
• tactique
• Ancient Greek στρατηγός (stratēgós)
• English strategy

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k 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
4. ^ a b c d e Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
5. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
6. ^ Picoche, Jacqueline (1991), Dictionnaire étymologique du français, Paris: Le Robert (Les Usuels du Robert)
7. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
8. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
9. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
10. ^ a b c Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)