transporter

Forms

transporter^[1] Old French also tresporter, from the 12th to the 14th century.^[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin transportō (“to carry across, transport”), formed from trāns (“across, beyond”) and portō (“to carry”).^[5][2][6]

Compare Old Occitan transportar, Spanish transportar and Italian trasportare.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is recorded about 1180 with the sense of moving a person or a thing from one place to another.^[5][2][7] A 13th-century miracle of Saint Louis has a lame girl who se tresportoit “dragged herself” from place to place.^[4]

Semantic evolution

The pronominal se transporter “to go, to move” is found from 1280, and as early as 1291 the verb was used in law for transferring a right to another person.^[8][5] About 1290 it took the figurative sense of stirring someone with a violent feeling; this survives in literary use, mostly of joy or delight (mid-17th century).^[5]

From the Renaissance the sense of moving developed further: in 1532 Rabelais uses it of carrying someone in thought to another place or time, and se transporter in this sense dates from 1538.^[8][5] From 1541 it was also said of moving something into another setting, such as a novel adapted for the stage.^[5][7] In 1564 it was used of deporting a population, and by 1748 of the penalty of transportation.^[7] With the means of transport as subject it dates from 1729 (Fontenelle).^[8][7] The biblical phrase la foi transporte les montagnes is recorded by Littré.^[4][7]

Its derivatives include transport (1312), transportable (1758) and transporteur (1869, earlier from 1380).^[3]

Timeline

• c. 1180 – First record, “to move from one place to another”.^[5][2]
• 1280 – Se transporter “to go, to move” appears.^[8]
• 1291 – It is used of transferring a right.^[8][5]
• c. 1290 – The figurative sense of stirring a strong feeling appears.^[5]
• 1532 – Rabelais uses it of carrying someone in thought.^[8]
• 1564 – It is used of deporting a population.^[7]
• 1729 – Fontenelle uses it with a machine as subject.^[8]
• 1748 – Montesquieu uses it of the penalty of transportation.^[7]

Meanings

Verb

1. To carry or convey people or goods from one place to another: Le camion transporte du sable jusqu'au chantier.^[6][9][8]
2. To take someone in imagination or thought to another place or time;^[6][8] se transporter in this sense.^[6][8]
3. To move something into another setting or medium: transporter un roman à la scène.^[5][7]
4. (law) To transfer a right to someone.^[8][4]
5. (literary) To fill with strong emotion, especially delight: Il était transporté de joie..^[6][5]
6. (historical) To sentence to transportation.^[4][7]

Word family

• transport
• transportable
• transportation
• transporteur

Related words

• porter¹
• Latin transportō

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, 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 c d e f Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
7. ^ a b c d e f g h i Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k 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
9. ^ Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)