devoir French · revision 16223

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=842, Serments de Strasbourg|origins=la dēbeō}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /də.vwaʁ/^(Wiktionary)

+ * IPA: /dvwaʁ/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''devoir'''^(Wiktionary)

+ First recorded as ''dift'' “(he) must” (842); infinitive [[m|fro|deveir]] (late 10th–11th century).^(DHLF 1992)^(TLFi)^(Grand Robert 2005)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|fro|deveir]], [[inh|la|dēbeō|t=to owe; ought, must]].^(TLFi)^(FEW|3, 21a)^(Grand Robert 2005)^(Wiktionary) The Latin verb is a compound of [[m|la|dē]] and [[m|la|habeō|t=to have]] (whence [[avoir]]): it meant “to have something from someone”, money or any other thing, and, with an infinitive, “to be obliged to”.^(DHLF 1992)^(Littré 1873) Its family includes [[dette]], “débet” and [[débit]].^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)

+

+ It survives everywhere except in Romanian: [[it|dovere]], [[es|deber]] and [[pro|dever]].^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(Littré 1873)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The Strasbourg Oaths (842) have ''dift'' “must”, marking obligation: ''si cum om per dreit son fradra salvar dift'' “as one should rightly help one's brother”.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ All the senses of the Latin verb are found in French: obligation and necessity (842), and its weakened uses marking the future (about 1050), probability, wish and intention (about 1100).^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992) ''Devoir'' with a direct object, “to owe”, is found about 1155, and “to be indebted for something” before 1188.^(TLFi) In the Middle Ages it also meant “to claim” and “to deserve”.^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ The infinitive became a noun, ''le devoir'' “duty”, at the end of the 12th century, expressing only moral obligation; the plural ''devoirs'' “respects” dates from 1636 (Corneille).^(Grand Robert 2005)^(DHLF 1992)^(GLLF 1989) The past participle [[dû]] gave ''dûment'' (1310), and ''doit'', the debit side of an account, is a bookkeeping term.^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)

+

+ ==Timeline==

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

+ * late 10th century – ''Deveir'' in the ''Passion de Clermont''.^(TLFi)

+ * c. 1050 – Marking the future.^(TLFi)

+ * c. 1100 – Marking probability, wish and intention, in the ''Chanson de Roland''.^(TLFi)

+ * c. 1155 – “To owe”, in Wace.^(TLFi)

+ * late 12th century – The noun ''devoir''.^(Grand Robert 2005)

+ * 1636 – ''Devoirs'' “respects” in Corneille.^(DHLF 1992)^(GLLF 1989)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # To [[m|en|owe]]: ''il me doit mille euros''; to be indebted for: ''je lui dois la vie''.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Wiktionary)

+ # [[m|en|must]], to have to: marks obligation: ''tu dois partir''.^(Wiktionary)^(TLFi)

+ # Must: marks probability: ''il doit être malade''.^(Wiktionary)^(TLFi)

+ # To be going to, to be due to: marks the future or an intention: ''il doit venir demain''.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)

+ # ''(conditional)'' Should, ought to: ''tu devrais le lui dire''.^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(literary)'' ''Dût-il'': even if he had to.^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ===Noun===

+ # [[m|en|duty]], moral obligation: ''faire son devoir''.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Wiktionary)

+ # A school exercise, [[m|en|homework]]: ''faire ses devoirs''.^(Wiktionary)^(GLLF 1989)

+ # ''(plural, dated)'' Respects: ''présenter ses devoirs''.^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[indu]]

+ * [[indûment]]

+ * [[dûment]]

+ * [[dû]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[redevable]]

+ * [[falloir]]

+ * [[obliger]]

+ * [[dette]]

+ * [[avoir]]

+ * [[la|dēbeō]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}