faire French · revision 16204

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=842, Serments de Strasbourg|origins=ine-pro *dʰeh₁-}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /fɛʁ/^(Wiktionary)

+ * IPA (Quebec): /fæɪ̯ʁ/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''faire'''^(Wiktionary)

+ First recorded as the subjunctive ''fazet'' (842); the infinitive ''faire'' in the 10th century.^(Grand Robert 2005)^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|fro|faire]], [[inh|la|faciō|t=to make, to do]].^(TLFi)^(FEW|3, 346b)^(Grand Robert 2005)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989) The preterite stem “fi-” (“je fis”) comes from the Latin perfect [[m|la|faciō|alt=fēcī]], with a raising of the vowel.^(Wiktionary) At first the Latin verb meant “to place, to put”, and was used in religion, as in “sacrum facere” “to place an offering (on the altar)”; when [[m|la|pōnō]] took over the sense “to place”, “facere” came to mean “to cause, to work, to produce by art”.^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ It goes back to an Indo-European root [[ine-pro|*dʰeh₁-|t=to put, set]], like [[grc|τίθημι|tr=títhēmi]], [[de|tun]] and [[en|do]].^(DHLF 1992)^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Littré 1873) Cognate with [[it|fare]], [[oc|faire]], [[ca|fer]], [[es|hacer]], [[pt|fazer]] and [[ro|face]].^(Petit Robert 2007)^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Its first recorded use, in the Strasbourg Oaths (842), is as a substitute for a verb of action already expressed: ''in o quid il mi altresi fazet'' “provided that he does the same for me”.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992) With an infinitive, “to cause to”, it is found in the ''Sequence of Saint Eulalia'' (about 880): ''voldrent la faire diaule servir'' “they wanted to make her serve the devil”.^(TLFi)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ In the 10th century the verb had its general sense “to carry out, to be the agent of (an activity)”.^(DHLF 1992)^(TLFi) From “to accomplish” came many phrases, some old: ''faire tant que'' (mid-11th century), ''ne faire que'' + infinitive (about 1190).^(DHLF 1992)^(TLFi) It meant “to give a quality to someone” in the late 10th century and “to make (something) so” in 1080 (''nus les feruns vermeilles'' “we shall make them red”).^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992) About 1170 it was used for “to say”, as in the modern ''fit-il'' in reported speech.^(TLFi)

+

+ The infinitive is used as a noun, ''le faire'', for an artist's manner of working, from the 18th century.^(Petit Robert 2007) The verb has a large family: [[défaire]] and [[forfaire]] (about 1080), [[bienfait]] (about 1125), [[affaire]] (12th century, masculine until the 16th century) and [[faisable]] (about 1350).^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 842 – ''Fazet'' in the Strasbourg Oaths.^(TLFi)

+ * c. 880 – ''Faire'' + infinitive, “to cause to”.^(TLFi)

+ * 2nd half of 10th century – “To carry out an action”.^(TLFi)

+ * 1080 – “To make (something) so” in the ''Chanson de Roland''.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)

+ * c. 1170 – “To say”.^(TLFi)

+ * c. 1190 – ''Ne faire que'' + infinitive.^(TLFi)

+ * 18th century – ''Le faire'', an artist's manner.^(Petit Robert 2007)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # To [[m|en|make]]: to produce, build or create.^(Wiktionary)^(TLFi)

+ # To [[m|en|do]]: to carry out an action or activity: ''faire du sport''.^(Wiktionary)^(TLFi)

+ # With an infinitive: to make, to have (someone do something): ''faire rire'', ''faire construire''.^(Wiktionary)^(TLFi)

+ # To act like, to play: ''faire l'idiot''.^(Wiktionary)

+ # To say (in reported speech): ''« Oui », fit-il''.^(Wiktionary)^(TLFi)

+ # ''(impersonal)'' To be (of the weather): ''il fait beau''.^(Wiktionary)

+ # To measure, to cost, to amount to: ''deux et deux font quatre''.^(GLLF 1989)

+ # Stands for another verb already used: ''comme je fais''.^(GLLF 1989)^(TLFi)

+ # ''Se faire'': to become; to get used to (''se faire à''); (of fruit, cheese) to [[m|en|ripen]].^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ===Noun===

+ # ''(arts)'' An artist's or writer's manner, technique.^(Petit Robert 2007)

+ # Doing, action: ''il y a loin du dire au faire''.^(Petit Robert 2007)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[fait-tout]]

+ * [[faisable]]

+ * [[faiseur]]

+ * [[affaire]]

+ * [[défaire]]

+ * [[refaire]]

+ * [[bienfaisant]]

+ * [[bienfaisance]]

+ * [[bienfait]]

+ * [[forfaire]]

+ * [[forfait]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[facile]]

+ * [[façon]]

+ * [[facture]]

+ * [[fait]]

+ * [[la|faciō]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}