Etymologically
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taire

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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
  • 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