voir French · revision 15933

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=late 10th century, Passion of Clermont|origins=la videō}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /vwaʁ/^(Wiktionary)

+ * IPA (Louisiana): [(v)wɒ(ɾ)]^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''voir'''^(Wiktionary)

+ [[fro|veder]] (about 980), [[m|fro|vedeir]] (1080), [[m|fro|veeir]] (about 1155), [[m|fro|veoir]] (about 1200); ''voir'' from 1636, though ''veoir'' is found until 1671.^(DHLF 1992)^(GLLF 1989)^(Grand Robert 2005) The old 1st person ''je voi'' was archaic by the 18th century.^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|fro|veoir]], earlier “vedeir”, [[inh|la|videō|t=to see]].^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(FEW|14, 420b) The Latin verb belongs to the Indo-European root “*weid-”, which expressed seeing as a means of knowing: it gave [[grc|ἰδεῖν|tr=ideîn|t=to see]] (see [[idée]]), and its perfect means “to know” in Sanskrit “veda”, Gothic “wait” and [[de|wissen]].^(DHLF 1992)^(Petit Robert 2007) Latin replaced with it the other Indo-European roots of seeing, “*spek-” (see [[espèce]]) and “*okʷ-” (see [[œil]]).^(DHLF 1992) Wiktionary notes that “voir” is unrelated to [[voie]] and [[avoir]].^(Wiktionary)

+

+ Cognate with [[it|vedere]], [[pro|vezer]], [[ca|veure]], [[es|ver]], [[pt|ver]] and [[ro|vedea]].^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The ''Passion'' of Clermont (late 10th century) has ''veder'', to witness (''sua fin veder voldrat'', he will wish to see his end), and the ''Vie de saint Léger'' “to perceive with the eyes”.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ From the start ''voir'' covered the Latin range: to perceive by sight, to witness, and figuratively to realise, understand and judge.^(DHLF 1992) The ''Chanson de Roland'' has it for seeing a country, meeting a person (''qu'il me vienge veeir''), reading and finding (''voir'' + attribute).^(TLFi) In religious language it was to behold God (''Saint Alexis'', about 1050).^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992) ''Y voir'' “to be able to see” dates from the late 12th century, ''voir le jour'' from Ronsard (1552), ''faire voir'' from 1550 and ''laisser voir'' from 1610.^(DHLF 1992)^(TLFi)

+

+ In the 17th century it took the senses “to imagine” (Mme de Sévigné, 1673), “to examine a patient” (Molière, 1665) and “to meet for business” (1675), and colloquial phrases followed: ''allez voir là-bas si j'y suis'' (Regnard, 1698), ''il fallait voir !'' (Marivaux, 1727).^(TLFi)^(BHVF) Informally ''voir'' is added to an imperative (''dis voir'').^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * Late 10th century – ''Veder'' in the Clermont ''Passion''.^(TLFi)

+ * c. 1050 – “To behold God”, in ''Saint Alexis''.^(TLFi)

+ * 1080 – ''Vedeir'' in the ''Chanson de Roland''.^(GLLF 1989)

+ * c. 1200 – ''Veoir''.^(DHLF 1992)

+ * 1552 – ''Voir le jour'' in Ronsard.^(TLFi)

+ * 1636 – The form ''voir'', in Monet.^(GLLF 1989)

+ * 1665 – “To examine (a patient)”, in Molière.^(TLFi)

+ * 1673 – “To imagine”, in Mme de Sévigné.^(TLFi)

+ * 1698 – ''Allez voir là-bas si j'y suis'' in Regnard.^(TLFi)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # To [[m|en|see]]: ''je vois la mer'', ''voir clair'', ''ne rien voir''.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Wiktionary)

+ # To witness, live through: ''il en a vu d'autres'', ''voir le jour'': to be born.^(TLFi)^(Petit Robert 2007)

+ # To meet, visit; to consult: ''aller voir qqn'', ''voir un médecin''.^(Wiktionary)^(BHVF)

+ # To understand, realise: ''je vois ce que tu veux dire''.^(Wiktionary)^(Petit Robert 2007)

+ # To consider, judge: ''voir les choses autrement'', ''voir d'un bon œil''.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Wiktionary)

+ # To look into, check: ''c'est à voir'', ''on verra''.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(DHLF 1992)

+ # ''Faire voir'': to show, ''laisser voir'': to reveal, ''n'avoir rien à voir avec'': to have nothing to do with.^(TLFi)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(informal)'' Added to an imperative: ''dis voir'', ''montre voir''.^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[prévoir]]

+ * [[revoir]]

+ * [[voyance]]

+ * [[voyeur]]

+ * [[voici]]

+ * [[voilà]]

+ * [[voyant]]

+ * [[vue]]

+ * [[entrevoir]]

+ * [[revue]]

+ * [[vu]]

+ * [[voyant]]

+ * [[voyeur]]

+ * [[prévoir]]

+ * [[revoir]]

+ * [[entrevoir]]

+ * [[pourvoir]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[vision]]

+ * [[évident]]

+ * [[idée]]

+ * [[la|videō]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}