transitif

Forms

transitif (feminine transitive, masculine plural transitifs, feminine plural transitives)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Medieval Latin transitivus (“passing”) in its first, general sense.^[2] In its grammatical sense it is borrowed from Late Latin trānsitīvus, the grammarians' word for a verb whose action passes from the subject to an object.^[2][3][4] The Latin grammatical term is found only in Priscian.^[2] The adjective comes from trānsitum, the supine of trānseō (“to go across”).^[5][6][3] Intransitif was borrowed separately from the grammarians' intrānsitīvus in 1679.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

It first meant “passing, changeable”: a manuscript of Brunetto Latini's Trésor dated 1310 has transitive as a variant for remuable, describing created nature as opposed to God.^[2][5] Rey and the GLLF date the text to about 1265.^[3][6]

Semantic evolution

The sense “passing” lasted until the end of the 15th century: a text of 1491 calls Alexander ung simple homme marchant transsitif, a passing merchant.^[2][3]

The grammatical sense appears in the second half of the 14th century, in the Latin–French glossary Aalma, and in 1466 Michault calls one of the constructions of verbs transitive.^[2] Meigret's grammar of 1550 defines a verbe actif transitif as one whose action can pass into another.^[5][7] Rey describes the word as very rare before the 19th century, when verbe actif was the usual term,^[3][8] but the TLF-Étym finds it fairly well attested from the 14th to the 18th century; the Trévoux dictionary of 1721 lists it as a term of Hebrew grammar.^[2]

In philosophy a cause transitive acts on something other than the agent.^[7][9] The TLFi and the FEW date this to Malebranche, before 1715, but the TLF-Étym did not find the word in Malebranche and dates it to Renouvier in 1864.^[5][2] In logic and mathematics a relation transitive is recorded from 1947 (Lalande).^[2] Other uses have died out: conjonction transitive for a conjunction marking a transition (1832), and in geology rocks forming the passage between two formations (1845–1846).^[2][7][3]

Timeline

• 1310 – Transitive “changeable” in a manuscript of the Trésor.^[2]
• 2nd half of the 14th century – First grammatical use, in the Aalma glossary.^[2]
• 1466 – Michault names the transitive construction.^[2]
• 1491 – Last record of the sense “passing”.^[2]
• 1550 – Meigret's Traité de la grammaire française.^[5][7]
• 1721 – First dictionary headword, in the Trévoux.^[2]
• 1832 – Conjonction transitive.^[2]
• 1845–1846 – Bescherelle records the geological sense.^[2]
• 1864 – Causalité transitive in Renouvier.^[2]
• 1879 – The noun transitivité.^[5]
• 1947 – Lalande defines the transitive relation.^[2]

Meanings

Adjective

1. (grammar) Of a verb, transitive: taking an object, either directly (verbe transitif direct) or through a preposition such as à or de (verbe transitif indirect).^[9][10][6]
2. (grammar) Belonging to transitive verbs: construction transitive.^[9][6]
3. (philosophy) Acting on something other than the agent: cause transitive, as opposed to an immanent cause.^[9][7]
4. (logic, mathematics) Of a relation, such that if it holds between a and b and between b and c, it holds between a and c: relation transitive.^[9][2]

Word family

• transitivement
• transitivité

Related words

• intransitif
• transir
• transit
• Latin trānseō

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 m n o p q r s t Steinfeld, Nadine; Buchi, Éva, eds. (2005–), TLF-Étym: révision des notices étymologiques du Trésor de la langue française informatisé, Nancy: ATILF
3. ^ a b c d e f Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
5. ^ a b c d e f 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 c d Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
7. ^ a b c d e Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
8. ^ 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. ^ Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)