Etymologically
Log in

tirer

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 17 October 2026 at 22:02. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ti.ʁe/[1]

Forms

tirer[1] Old Occitan tirar is recorded a little earlier (about 1050).[2]

Etymology

Its origin is one of the most obscure in Romance etymology; it exists in all the Romance languages except Romanian and Dalmatian (Italian tirare, Spanish tirar, Portuguese tirar) and must be old there.[2][3][4][5] Wartburg, followed by Bloch and Wartburg and the FEW, explained it as a reduction of Old French martirier (“to torture”), since the dislocation of limbs was a common torture: the present participle “martirant” was misread as “mar” “unhappily” + “tirant”, from “tiranz” “executioner” (Latin “tyrannus”), and a simple “tirer” was detached.[3][2][4] Corominas objected on phonetic and chronological grounds and proposed a verb made directly from a Romance form of Latin tyrannus;[2] the GLLF and the Grand Robert find Wartburg's idea unlikely.[6][7] Diez, followed by Littré, compared Gothic 𐍄𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌰𐌽 (tairan, “to tear”);[8][2] a Germanic or Dutch source is still discussed, and Old French “tire” “row” may have played a part.[2][7] Wiktionary simply gives Vulgar Latin “*tīrāre”.[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Chanson de Roland (about 1100) has Tiret sa barbe cum hum ki est iret, he tugs his beard like an angry man, and uses tirer for drawing something out with great effort.[9][8]

Semantic evolution

Tirer gradually took the place of traire “to draw, pull”, which survived as “to milk”; conversely in Quebec tirer les vaches still means “to milk the cows”.[2][3] About 1150 it meant to pull towards oneself (tirer la barbe), about 1160 to pull the reins, and, from 1365 to extract metals, from 1459 to draw wine from a cask and to draw a sword on someone.[9] It also meant to get money out of someone (Commynes), to draw lots (Amyot, 1559) and to draw a conclusion (Monet, 1636).[9]

From the 16th century it was also to shoot a missile or a firearm, now one of its main senses (tirer à l'arc, tirer sur qqn), and in printing and photography to print (tirer un livre, tirer une photo).[6][2][10] Se tirer d'affaire goes back to Commynes, s'en tirer to Corneille (1642), and slang se tirer “to clear off” is modern.[9][11] Derivatives include tir, tirage (1479), tiroir (1530), tirailleur (1578) and tire-bouchon (1688).[3]

Timeline

  • c. 1050 – Old Occitan tirar.[2]
  • c. 1100 – Tiret sa barbe in the Chanson de Roland.[9]
  • c. 1150 – “To pull towards oneself”.[9]
  • 1365 – To extract (metals), in Oresme.[9]
  • 1459 – Tirer l'épée sur qqn.[9]
  • 1479 – Tirage.[3]
  • 1559 – Tirer au sort in Amyot.[9]
  • 1636 – Tirer une conséquence.[9]
  • 1642 – S'en tirer in Corneille.[9]
  • 1688 – Tire-bouchon.[3]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To pull, draw, drag: tirer une corde, tirer les rideaux, tirer qqn par la manche.[1][7]
  2. To take out, draw out: tirer un mouchoir de sa poche, tirer de l'eau, tirer qqn d'affaire.[9][1]
  3. To derive, get: tirer profit de, tirer une conclusion, tirer son nom de.[1][9]
  4. To shoot, fire: tirer sur qqn, tirer un coup de feu.[1][6]
  5. To draw (lots, cards): tirer au sort, tirer les cartes.[9]
  6. (printing, photography) To print: tirer un livre à mille exemplaires.[6][10]
  7. To draw (a line): tirer un trait.[6][1]
  8. (intransitive) To pull; of a chimney, to draw, tirer sur: to verge on (a colour).[12][4]
  9. (reflexive, familiar) Se tirer: to clear off, s'en tirer: to get by, pull through.[11][1]

Word family

  • retirer
  • tirage
  • tire-bouchon
  • tire-fond
  • tireur
  • tiroir
  • tir
  • tirant
  • tiret
  • tirette
  • attirer
  • détirer
  • étirer
  • tirade
  • tirailler
  • tirailleur
  • soutirer
  • traire

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  3. ^ a b c d e f Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  4. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  5. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 6/1, 397b
  6. ^ a b c d e Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  7. ^ a b c Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  8. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n 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
  10. ^ a b Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF
  11. ^ a b Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)
  12. ^ Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)