vaciller

Forms

vaciller^[1] Also spelled vaciler in the 17th and 18th centuries.^[2]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin vacillō (“to sway, totter”), used in Latin both literally and figuratively.^[3][4][2][1] Rey calls the Latin verb, found before Cicero, of obscure origin: its ending ⟨-illare⟩ marks it as expressive, and its initial ⟨v-⟩ may be that of vacō (“to be empty”) and vacuus (“empty”).^[2]

Cognate with Occitan vacillar, Spanish vacilar and Italian vacillare.^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Bloch and Wartburg, the Robert dictionaries and the Gros Larousse date it to about 1180, in the Vie de saint Évroul, of a building shaken by a kind of trembling;^[4][6][7] the Trésor dates that text to the second half of the 14th century.^[3][2]

Semantic evolution

The verb first took the literal Latin sense, “to move with a repeated trembling to and fro”, and came to be used especially of someone unsteady on their legs.^[2] The figurative sense “to be irresolute” (mid-14th century) has gone out of use, as have “to tremble with fear” (1488) and “to make a slip of the tongue” (1608), used until the end of the 19th century, and vaciller dans ses réponses (1694).^[2][3]

From 1687 it is used of a light about to go out or flickering faintly, and figuratively of what lacks firmness, such as the memory or a resolve.^[2][3][8] The older pronunciation with /l/, [vasile], is still noted by the dictionaries.^[6][8]

Timeline

• c. 1180 – First recorded, in the Vie de saint Évroul.^[4][7]
• c. 1350 – Gilles li Muisis uses it for “to become weak, uncertain”.^[3]
• 1455 – Used of an irresolute person.^[3]
• 1488 – It means “to tremble with fear”.^[2]
• 1606 – The noun vacillement is recorded.^[2]
• 1609 – Régnier uses it of a slip of the tongue.^[3]
• 1687 – Fénelon uses it of a wavering light.^[3][2]

Meanings

Verb

1. To sway, totter, be unsteady and close to falling: vaciller sur ses jambes.^[8][3]
2. Of a light or flame: to flicker, be about to go out: la flamme de la bougie vacille.^[8][1]
3. (figurative) To weaken, lose firmness: sa mémoire vacille.^[8][3]
4. (dated) To vacillate, hesitate, be irresolute.^[8][5]

Word family

• vacillant
• vacillement

Related words

• vacillation
• Latin vacillō

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j 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 Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
5. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
6. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
7. ^ a b 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 Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert