dire French · revision 16221

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=c. 980, Fragment de Valenciennes|origins=ine-pro *deyḱ-}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /diʁ/^(Wiktionary)

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

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''dire'''^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|fro|dire]], [[inh|la|dīcō|t=to say, speak; to name; to plead]].^(TLFi)^(FEW|3, 67b)^(Grand Robert 2005)^(Wiktionary) The Latin verb contains the Indo-European root [[ine-pro|*deyḱ-|t=to show]], seen in [[grc|δείκνυμι|tr=deíknumi|t=to show]] and [[de|zeigen]].^(DHLF 1992)^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Littré 1873) Unlike its relatives in other languages, it was specialized in Italy, in Latin and in Oscan and Umbrian, in the sense “to show or make known by speech”.^(DHLF 1992) Like [[m|la|ōrō]], “dīcere” was at first a solemn, technical word of religion and law, used of magistrates; in common speech it lost this character and came to mean simply “to tell, to relate”.^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ Cognate with [[ro|zice]], [[it|dire]], [[oc|dire]], [[ca|dir]], [[es|decir]] and [[pt|dizer]].^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Littré 1873)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The verb is first recorded about 980, in the Valenciennes fragment and the ''Passion de Clermont'', for “to express in words”, introducing both direct and indirect speech, and in the sense “to assert, maintain”.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ By the 11th century ''dire'' had all the senses of the Latin verb.^(DHLF 1992) From the first texts it also meant “to relate, tell”, “to call, name” and “to recite”, sometimes with the old solemn value, as in ''dire la messe'' (about 1050).^(DHLF 1992)^(TLFi) With a clause introduced by ''que'' it meant “to order” about 1100, and with ''de'' and an infinitive in Molière (1673).^(TLFi) The imperative ''dis'' as a mere call for attention is recorded by Nicot (1606); Old French had the exclamation ''diva'', from ''di'' and ''va''.^(TLFi)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989) The past participle ''dit'' “called, nicknamed” dates from 1690.^(TLFi)

+

+ The old phrase ''(être) à dire'' “to be missing” gave the verb ''adirer'' “to mislay”, still used in law.^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(Littré 1873) The infinitive became a noun, ''le dire'' “what someone states”, about 1223.^(Grand Robert 2005) ''On-dit'' “rumour” dates from the late 18th century and ''qu'en-dira-t-on'' from the late 17th.^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 980 – ''Dire'' in the Valenciennes fragment and the ''Passion de Clermont''.^(TLFi)

+ * c. 1050 – ''Dire la messe''.^(DHLF 1992)

+ * c. 1100 – ''Dire que'' “to order” in the ''Chanson de Roland''.^(TLFi)

+ * c. 1223 – The infinitive used as a noun.^(Grand Robert 2005)

+ * 1233 – ''Diseur'' “speaker”.^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)

+ * 1606 – Nicot records ''dis'' as a mere call.^(TLFi)

+ * 1690 – ''Dit'' “called” in Furetière.^(TLFi)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # To [[m|en|say]], to tell: to express in words: ''dire la vérité''.^(Wiktionary)^(GLLF 1989)

+ # To tell (someone to do something), to order: ''il m'a dit de partir''.^(Wiktionary)^(TLFi)

+ # To say in writing; to state: ''la loi dit que…''.^(Wiktionary)

+ # To [[m|en|recite]], to deliver: ''dire un poème'', ''dire la messe''.^(Wiktionary)^(DHLF 1992)

+ # To mean, to signify: ''qu'est-ce que ce mot veut dire ?''.^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''On dirait'': it looks like, it seems: ''on dirait qu'il va pleuvoir''.^(Wiktionary)

+ # To call, to name: ''un homme dit le Juste''.^(TLFi)

+ # ''Se dire'': to be said (of a word or phrase); to claim to be.^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ===Noun===

+ # ''(usually plural)'' What someone states: ''selon ses dires''.^(Petit Robert 2007)

+ # ''(law)'' A statement submitted by a party to experts.^(Petit Robert 2007)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[maudire]]

+ * [[médire]]

+ * [[susdit]]

+ * [[diseur]]

+ * [[dédire]]

+ * [[redire]]

+ * [[on-dit]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[diction]]

+ * [[indicible]]

+ * [[dicton]]

+ * [[contredire]]

+ * [[prédire]]

+ * [[la|dīcō]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}