taire

Pronunciation

• IPA: /tɛʁ/^[1]

Forms

taire^[1] The regular Old French infinitive was taisir (1145), still used in the 15th century, beside taisier (about 1210).^[2][3] The past participle is tu, tue, il tait has no circumflex.^[4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French taire, inherited from Latin taceō (“to be silent; to say nothing of”): by 980 the infinitive had been remade from taisir, the regular outcome of the Latin verb.^[5][2][6][7] The new infinitive followed verbs such as faire and plaire beside “plaisir”, Littré thinks it shows an early misplaced stress “tacère”.^[2][1][8] The Latin verb has an exact Germanic counterpart in Gothic 𐌸𐌰𐌷𐌰𐌽 (þahan, “to be silent”) and Old High German dagēn, Saussure compared Ancient Greek πτήσσω (ptḗssō, “to cower”).^[2][8]

The word is used in only part of Gallo-Romance: the east and the Franco-Provençal area have forms of Vulgar Latin *quētiō, from Latin quiētus (“at rest”) (compare coi), and the south-west forms like Spanish callar.^[3][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Passion of Clermont (late 10th century) Jesus is silent before his accusers: Judeu l'acusent, el se tais.^[5]

Semantic evolution

The Chanson de Roland has the order Tais, Oliver and Ambdui vos en taisez! “be silent, both of you”.^[5][8] The intransitive use “to be silent” gave way to the reflexive se taire; the reflexive, which first also meant to refrain from doing something, was limited to speech by about 1230, and it means to keep a secret from 1549.^[2] Transitive taire “to keep quiet about, hide” is in the Oxford Psalter, and of feelings in Bossuet (1683).^[5][2] Popular taire sa gueule (1744) continues taire sa boche (about 1225); faire taire “to silence” dates from 1538.^[5][2]

Of things it is used of the waves (late 13th century) and of grief (la douleur qui se tait, Racine, 1667).^[5] Belgian taiseux “taciturn” spread to France in the 1990s.^[2]

Timeline

• Late 10th century – El se tais, Passion of Clermont.^[5]
• c. 1100 – Tais, Oliver, Chanson de Roland.^[5]
• 1145 – Taisir.^[2][6]
• c. 1225 – Taire sa boche.^[5]
• 1538 – Faire taire.^[2]
• 1667 – La douleur qui se tait, Racine.^[5]
• 1744 – Taire sa gueule, Vadé.^[5]

Meanings

Verb

1. Se taire: to be silent, stop talking; to keep quiet about something, not reveal a secret: tais-toi!.^[4][1]
2. Se taire: (of things) to fall silent, stop making a sound: les oiseaux se sont tus.^[5]
3. To keep secret, not to say: taire un nom.^[1][9]
4. (literary) Not to show (a feeling): taire son chagrin.^[9]
5. Faire taire: to silence; to suppress.^[2]
6. (vulgar) Taire sa gueule: to shut up.^[9][1]

Word family

• taiseux

Related words

• tacite
• taciturne
• réticence
• Latin taceō

References

1. ^ a b c d e f 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 Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
4. ^ a b Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ 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
6. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
7. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 13/1, 26b
8. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
9. ^ a b c Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse