traître

Forms

traître m (plural traîtres, feminine traîtresse)^[1] Old French traïtre (subject case) beside traïtor, traïtur (object case), the object case first found as tradetur about 980 in the Passion.^[2][3][4] The spelling traître is recorded from 1530, when it was used in all functions;^[2][4][5] trahistre was still sometimes written in the 16th century.^[2][4][5] Feminine traîtresse, from the late 12th century.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French traïtre, inherited from Latin trāditor (“one who hands over, a betrayer”), the Old French subject case (nominative) of the word.^{[3][2][6][1][7]} The Latin noun was adapted under the influence of trahir (Old French traïr).^[3][6][8] Old French also had an object case from trāditōrem, first written tradetur and later traïtor; the subject case won out because the word was so often used to address or call someone a traitor.^[2][6][3] Littré notes that the Old French form presupposes a Gallo-Roman stress on the first syllable of the Latin word, and that the contraction of traïstre to the modern form was complete by the 16th century.^[5]

The Latin noun is formed from the supine of trādō (“to hand over”), itself made from dō (“to give”).^[2][9] Cognate with Italian traditore, Occitan traidor, Catalan traïdor, Spanish traidor, Portuguese traidor and Romanian trădător.^[9][5] The learned doublet is traditeur.^[9]

Earliest recorded meaning

The object case is found first, as tradetur in the Passion of about 980.^[3][2] About 1100 the Chanson de Roland uses traïtre for one who betrays: Li reis Marsile i fit mult que traïtre “King Marsile acted there very much as a traitor”.^[3][5]

Semantic evolution

Besides the person who betrays, the word qualified what shows treachery from the 12th century.^[2] About 1360 it was first applied to a person capable of betraying.^[2] The feminine traîtresse is found as an adjective about 1175 and as a noun in the 13th century.^[3][2]

In classical French traître and traîtresse weakened to mean an unfaithful lover (1652, Corneille) and became terms of abuse for anyone one was angry with (1642), uses now literary or playful.^[2][3] From the 16th century the adjective was applied to things more dangerous than they look, first in Ronsard in 1552,^[3][9] and Littré records it of animals that bite or kick unexpectedly.^[5] The phrase en traître “treacherously” dates from Corneille's Cid (1636), and pas un traître mot “not a single word” is recorded by the Académie in 1798.^[3]

traîtreusement (13th century) comes from an old adjective traîtreux, out of use since the 18th century, and traîtrise (1810) is a provincial word, from Lyon.^[6][10]

Timeline

• c. 980 – The object case tradetur appears in the Passion.^[3][2]
• c. 1100 – Traïtre is used in the Chanson de Roland.^[3][5]
• c. 1175 – The feminine traitresse is used as an adjective.^[3][2]
• 1530 – The spelling traître is recorded.^[2][4]
• 1552 – Ronsard uses the adjective of something more dangerous than it seems.^[3][9]
• 1636 – En traître appears in Corneille's Cid.^[3][4]
• 1642 – Used as a term of abuse.^[2][4]
• 1798 – The Académie records le traître mot.^[3]
• 1810 – Traîtrise is recorded.^[6]

Meanings

Noun

1. A traitor, a person who betrays someone or something.^[3][9][1]
2. By extension, a treacherous, two-faced person.^[3]
3. (dated) A scoundrel, used as an insult.^[9][2]
4. En traître: treacherously, by surprise, as in prendre quelqu'un en traître.^[9][3]

Adjective

1. Who betrays or is capable of betraying: traître à sa patrie.^[9][1]
2. More dangerous than it appears, said of things and animals: un chien traître.^[3][9][5]
3. Pas un traître mot: not a single word.^[3]

Word family

• traîtreusement
• traîtrise

Related words

• trahir
• trahison
• traditeur
• Latin trāditor

Usage notes

The feminine is traîtresse, both noun and adjective.^[1][9]

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 m n o p q 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 l m n o p q r s t u v 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 f Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
5. ^ a b c d e f g h Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
6. ^ a b c d e Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
7. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 13/2, 152b
8. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
10. ^ Picoche, Jacqueline (1991), Dictionnaire étymologique du français, Paris: Le Robert (Les Usuels du Robert)