troubler

Forms

troubler^[1] Old French trubler (1080) and trobler (about 1155), beside forms without metathesis, torbler, turbler and tourbler.^[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French trubler, inherited from Vulgar Latin *turbulāre, from *turbulus (“troubled, cloudy”), the source of the adjective trouble;^{[5][2][4][6][7]} Classical Latin used turbō (“to disturb”), of the same family.^{[5][2][4][6][7]} The Petit Robert explains this adjective as a cross of turbidus (“troubled”) and turbulentus (“agitated”), both from turba (“disorder, crowd”).^[8] The metathesis of /r/ is already in the Chanson de Roland.^[4][2]

Cognate with Romanian tulbura and Occitan trebolar.^[4][8][1] The English verb trouble was taken from Old French about 1200.^[9]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Chanson de Roland (about 1100) the verb, then intransitive, is used of eyes growing dim: li oil li sunt trublet “his eyes are clouded”, of the wounded Oliver.^[5][2][10]

Semantic evolution

The intransitive “to grow cloudy” spread from the eyes to the sky (1119) and the mind, and lasted until the end of the 16th century, when the reflexive se troubler replaced it.^[2][5] Transitive from the 12th century, the verb meant “to disrupt” (about 1155), trobler la paiz (1160–1174), and “to cloud water” (about 1180, Marie de France).^[5][2] It also meant “to stir up quarrels” and “to foment unrest in a country” (about 1170), senses lost in classical French, though troubler l'ordre public (1866) is still current.^[2]

On the mental side it came to mean “to impair a faculty” (late 14th century) and “to make someone lose composure” (1549); from the 17th century it was used of disturbing sleep (1671) or digestion (1636), and of stirring someone with love (1667, troubler le cœur).^[2][5] In law it means to hinder someone in the exercise of a right (1409).^[5][2]

Timeline

• c. 1100 – Trubler “to grow dim” is used of eyes in the Chanson de Roland.^[5][2]
• 1119 – Philippe de Thaon uses it of the sky clouding over.^[5]
• c. 1155 – Wace uses it for stirring up opposition.^[5]
• c. 1180 – Marie de France uses it for clouding water.^[5]
• 1261 – The derivative troubleur is recorded in trobleurs de la paix.^[5]
• 1409 – It is used in law for hindering the exercise of a right.^[5]
• 1538 – Robert Estienne has the spelling troubler.^[11]
• 1667 – Troubler le cœur is used of stirring love.^[2]
• 1866 – Troubler l'ordre public is recorded.^[5][2]

Meanings

Verb

1. To make cloudy or less clear: troubler l'eau d'une mare.^[8][5]
2. To disturb or disrupt an order, a state or a course of things: troubler l'ordre public, troubler le sommeil.^[8][5][1]
3. To unsettle someone, make them lose their composure or confuse their judgement.^[8][5][1]
4. To stir someone with emotion, especially desire.^[2][8]
5. (reflexive) Of water or the sky, to become cloudy, and of a person, to become flustered.^[1][5]
6. (law) To hinder someone in the exercise of a right.^[5][2]

Word family

• trouble
• trouble-fête
• troubleur

Related words

• turbulent
• tourbe
• turbine
• Latin turba

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 Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c d e 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 g h i j k l m n o p q r s 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 Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 13/2, 424a
7. ^ a b Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
8. ^ a b c d e f Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
9. ^ Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
10. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
11. ^ Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse