vrai French · revision 16339

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=1080, Chanson de Roland|origins=la verus}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /vʁɛ/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''vrai''' (feminine vraie, masculine plural vrais, feminine plural vraies)^(Wiktionary)

+ Old French [[m|fro|verai]] (1080), ''vrai'' from about 1160; the Académie wrote ''vray'' in 1694 and 1718 and ''vrai'' from 1740.^(Grand Robert 2005)^(GLLF 1989)^(TLFi)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|fro|verai]], [[inh|la-vul|*vērācus|t=true]], recorded in Medieval Latin as “veragus” (770), from [[la|vērāx|t=truthful, sincere, reliable]], itself from [[m|la|vērus|t=true, real]].^(DHLF 1992)^(GLLF 1989)^(Grand Robert 2005)^(Wiktionary)^(FEW|14, 273b) Meyer-Lübke started instead from “veratius”, found in Merovingian formulas.^(REW 1935) Rey relates “vērus” to an Indo-European root “*wer-”, also behind [[de|wahr]], Welsh “gwir” and Slavic “vera” “faith”.^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ “Vērus” itself gave Old French [[m|fro|ver]] (about 980), “veir” and [[m|fro|voir]], much more common than “vrai” in the Middle Ages, and the adverb [[voire]].^(DHLF 1992)^(GLLF 1989) Bloch and Wartburg explain the spread of “verai” as the search for a more expressive word than “voir”; the popular Latin form suits only French, and [[pro|verai]] was borrowed from French.^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989) [[en|very]] comes from Old French “verai”.^(Petit Robert 2007)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ It is first found in the ''Chanson de Roland'' (1080) as ''verai'', “in accordance with the truth”, as opposed to fiction or imitation.^(TLFi)^(GLLF 1989)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ From about 1165 it was used of a person who tells the truth or acts without pretence, now a literary use; from the late 12th century of what is not feigned (a faith, a love) and of what is rightly named (''li vrais Jhesus'', about 1200).^(DHLF 1992)^(TLFi) ''Il est vrai que'', introducing a reservation, dates from 1349.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ As a noun, ''le vrai'' “the truth” is found in 1342, ''pour vrai'' (1349) survives regionally, as in Canada, while central French says ''pour de vrai'' (1827).^(DHLF 1992) ''À vrai parler'' (late 14th century) gave way to ''à vrai dire'' (1538) and ''à dire vrai'' (1571).^(DHLF 1992) The familiar question ''pas vrai ?'' is recorded from 1749.^(BHVF)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 980 – Old French ''ver'', from Latin ''vērus''.^(GLLF 1989)

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

+ * c. 1160 – The form ''vrai''.^(Grand Robert 2005)

+ * c. 1165 – “Sincere, loyal”, in Benoît de Sainte-Maure.^(TLFi)

+ * 1342 – The noun ''le vrai''.^(DHLF 1992)^(TLFi)

+ * 1349 – ''Il est vrai que'' in Guillaume de Machaut.^(TLFi)

+ * 1538 – ''À vrai dire''.^(DHLF 1992)

+ * 1749 – ''Pas vrai ?''^(BHVF)

+ * 1827 – ''Pour de vrai''.^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Adjective===

+ # [[m|en|true|alt=True]], in accordance with the facts: ''une histoire vraie'', ''il est vrai que…''.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Wiktionary)

+ # Real, genuine: ''un vrai diamant''.^(Wiktionary)^(DHLF 1992)

+ # Real, proper, regular, as an intensifier: ''un vrai désastre''.^(Wiktionary)^(TLFi)

+ # ''(literary)'' [[m|en|sincere|alt=Sincere]], truthful.^(DHLF 1992)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(art)'' True to life, natural.^(TLFi)

+ # ''Pas vrai ?'': isn't it?, right?^(BHVF)

+

+ ===Noun===

+ # ''Le vrai'': the truth.^(Wiktionary)^(DHLF 1992)

+ # ''Pour de vrai'': for real, ''à vrai dire'': to tell the truth.^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ===Adverb===

+ # ''Dire vrai'': to speak the truth.^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[vraisemblable]]

+ * [[vraiment]]

+ * [[invraisemblable]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[vérité]]

+ * [[voire]]

+ * [[véritable]]

+ * [[la|vērus]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}