importer French · revision 16424

+ French has two verbs spelled ''importer'': ''importer'' “to import”, a term of trade from Latin ''importare'', revived after English ''to import'', and ''importer'' “to matter”, taken from Italian ''importare''.^(Grand Robert 2005)^(TLFi)^(Wiktionary)

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+ {{homograph|1|import}}

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+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=1382 (term of trade)|origins=la portō}}

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+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ɛ̃.pɔʁ.te/^(Wiktionary)

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+ ==Forms==

+ '''importer'''^(Wiktionary)

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+ ==Etymology==

+ The verb “to import” is [[bor|la|importō|t=to bring in, carry into]], a term of trade, from [[m|la|in-]] and [[m|la|portō|t=to carry]].^(TLFi)^(Grand Robert 2005)^(GLLF 1989)^(FEW|4, 598a) It gained new life in the 17th century under the influence of [[en|import]] (1548), itself borrowed from Middle French.^(TLFi)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(Petit Robert 2007)

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+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ It is first found in 1382, in Burgundy, meaning “to bring (a sum of money) into a joint business”; in 1396 the customs of Dieppe use it for bringing goods into a country.^(TLFi)^(GLLF 1989)

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+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The word became current again in 1669, in Colbert's letters, after the English trade term.^(TLFi)^(Grand Robert 2005)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989) It was used of livestock in 1755, and Louis-Sébastien Mercier urged writers to ''importer'' new phrases into French (1801).^(TLFi) Derivatives include [[importation]] (1734), [[importateur]] (1756) and [[réimporter]] (1792); in computing it means “to import data”.^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(Petit Robert 2007)

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+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1382 – A term of trade.^(TLFi)

+ * 1396 – “To bring goods into a country”.^(TLFi)

+ * 1669 – Revived, after English, in Colbert.^(TLFi)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)

+ * 1734 – ''Importation''.^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)

+ * 1801 – Figurative use, in Mercier.^(TLFi)

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+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # To [[m|en|import]] (goods) into a country: ''importer du café''.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Wiktionary)

+ # To introduce from abroad: ''une mode importée d'Angleterre''.^(Petit Robert 2007)

+ # ''(computing)'' To import (data).^(Petit Robert 2007)

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+ ==Word family==

+ * [[importation]]

+ * [[importateur]]

+ * [[réimporter]]

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+ {{homograph|2|matter}}

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+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=1536, Rabelais|origins=la portō}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ɛ̃.pɔʁ.te/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''importer'''^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ The verb “to matter” is [[bor|it|importare|t=to entail; to concern, be of consequence]], from [[la|importō|t=to bring in; to cause]].^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(Grand Robert 2005) Its first French sense, “to entail”, is probably a remaking after Italian of Old French [[m|fro|emporter|t=to entail, have as a consequence]] (1283).^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992) The sense “to concern, be of importance” is purely Italian, as are [[importance]] (about 1470) and [[important]] (1476), taken from Italian at about the same time.^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(DHLF 1992)

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+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ It is first found in Rabelais (1536), meaning “to require, entail”.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)

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+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ “To concern, be of consequence” is recorded in 1543, ''importer à'' in 1552 and the absolute use in 1587.^(TLFi) The impersonal forms followed: ''qu'importe que'' in Montaigne (1595), ''il importe de'' (1611) and ''il importe que'' (1636).^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992) ''N'importe'' gave pronouns and adverbs such as ''n'importe qui'', ''n'importe quoi'' (18th century) and ''n'importe quel'' (Rousseau, 1782); ''n'importe quoi !'' now expresses disapproval of something absurd.^(DHLF 1992)^(TLFi)

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+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1536 – “To entail”, in Rabelais.^(TLFi)

+ * 1543 – “To concern”, in ''Amadis''.^(TLFi)

+ * 1595 – ''Qu'importe que'', in Montaigne.^(TLFi)

+ * 1611 – ''Il importe de''.^(TLFi)

+ * 1782 – ''N'importe quel'', in Rousseau.^(TLFi)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # To [[m|en|matter]], be important: ''cela m'importe peu''.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''Il importe de / que'': it is important to / that.^(Petit Robert 2007)

+ # ''Peu importe'', ''qu'importe'': it doesn't matter, ''n'importe'': no matter.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''N'importe qui'', ''n'importe quoi'', ''n'importe où'': anyone, anything, anywhere.^(DHLF 1992)^(Wiktionary)

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+ ==Word family==

+ * [[qu'importe]]

+ * [[n'importe]]

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+ ==Related words==

+ * [[porter]]

+ * [[importance]]

+ * [[important]]

+ * [[exporter]]

+ * [[emporter]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}