vomir

Forms

vomir^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Vulgar Latin *vomīre, an alteration of Latin vomō (“to vomit, spit out”) by change of conjugation.^{[2][3][4][5][6]} The /o/ was kept unchanged because the word stayed under the influence of written Latin, being used mostly by physicians, who often wrote in Latin.^[2][5][4] The Latin verb is related to Ancient Greek ἐμέω (eméō, “to vomit”) and Lithuanian vémti.^[4][7]

Old Occitan had vomir;^[5] Littré cites Italian vomire, Walloon vômi and Picard gomir.^[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found in 1174–1176 in Guernes de Pont-Sainte-Maxence's Vie de saint Thomas, meaning to throw up the contents of the stomach through the mouth.^[2][4]

Semantic evolution

Used without an object from 1530, it gave vomir tripes et boyaux (1623) and, with the idea of disgust, faire vomir (1690) and être à faire vomir (1761).^[2][4] About 1280 it meant, as Latin vomere had, to utter hateful words, a sense taken up again at the end of the 16th century, whence vomir feux et flammes “to rage” (1707).^[4][2]

From 1508 it was said of things that let out or throw out something, a sense now literary; from 1674 of a place that seems to cast out its people.^[2][4] In religious language, vomir les tièdes (1553) meant to reject those lukewarm in faith, and the sense “to reject with loathing” later became general.^[2][4] Today the idea of rejection and disgust prevails.^[4]

Timeline

• 1174–1176 – First recorded in Guernes de Pont-Sainte-Maxence.^[2]
• c. 1280 – Baudouin de Condé uses it for uttering hateful words.^[4][7]
• 1508 – Said of things throwing something out.^[2][4]
• 1530 – Palsgrave records it without an object.^[6][4]
• 1553 – Vomir les tièdes in a Bible translation.^[2]
• 1573 – Used for bringing up blood.^[2][4]
• 1623 – Vomir tripes et boyaux in Sorel.^[2]
• 1690 – Furetière records faire vomir “to disgust”.^[2]

Meanings

Verb

1. To vomit, to throw up: vomir du sang; used without an object, to be sick;^[8][9] avoir envie de vomir: to feel nauseous.^[8][9]
2. C'est à vomir: it is disgusting, vile.^[8]
3. (figurative) To reject or condemn with loathing.^[8][9]
4. (literary) To spew out, throw out: le volcan vomit des cendres.^[8]
5. (figurative) To utter violently: vomir des injures.^[8][2]

Word family

• vomissement
• vomitif

Related words

• vomi
• vomissure
• émétique
• Latin vomō

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 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
3. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 14, 628b
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ a b c Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
6. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
7. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
8. ^ a b c d e f Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)
9. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert