empêcher French · revision 16483

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=early 12th century, Oxford Psalter|origins=la pēs}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ɑ̃.pɛ.ʃe/^(Wiktionary)

+ * IPA: /ɑ̃.pe.ʃe/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''empêcher'''^(Wiktionary)

+ Old French ''empedecad'' (about 1120), [[m|fro|empeechier]] (about 1155, Wace), [[m|fro|empeschier]], ''empescher'' in the 15th century and ''empêcher'' in the 16th; a variant ''ampagier'' is found in the 13th century.^(GLLF 1989)^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|fro|empeechier]], [[inh|la-lat|impedicō|t=to catch in a trap, shackle]], from [[m|la|in-]] and [[m|la|pedica|t=fetter, snare for catching animals by the foot]], from [[m|la|pēs|t=foot]].^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)^(Grand Robert 2005)^(GLLF 1989)^(FEW|4, 579a) “Pedica” is also the source of [[piège]].^(DHLF 1992) The ⟨s⟩ of the old spellings was never pronounced.^(Littré 1873)

+

+ Wiktionary notes that [[en|impeach]] is a cognate and [[empiéger]] a doublet.^(Wiktionary) Littré cites [[pro|empedegar]].^(Littré 1873)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ In its first record, the Oxford Psalter (early 12th century), it means to put someone in a position where he cannot act, to shackle, ''s'empêcher'' “to get entangled” is in Wace (1160–74).^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The sense “to prevent something from happening” is recorded in 1297, at Tournai.^(TLFi) ''Empêcher quelqu'un de'' with an infinitive appears in the 13th century and ''empêcher que'' in 1534, whence ''il n'empêche que'', ''n'empêche que'' and familiar ''n'empêche''.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992) The reflexive ''s'empêcher de'' (Montaigne, 1580) first meant “to abstain from” and now means “to refrain from”.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ The physical sense “to hamper” lasted into the 17th century (La Fontaine's wolf, ''empêché par son hoqueton'') and survives in literature.^(DHLF 1992)^(Petit Robert 2007) The participle ''empêché'' has meant overwhelmed, embarrassed, busy (1530), and in classical French ''femme empêchée'' a pregnant woman (1640).^(DHLF 1992) ''Empêcheur de danser en rond'' “spoilsport” dates from 1867.^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * Early 12th century – ''Empedecad'', Oxford Psalter.^(TLFi)^(GLLF 1989)

+ * 1160–74 – ''S'empêcher'' “to get entangled”, Wace.^(TLFi)

+ * 1297 – “To prevent something”.^(TLFi)

+ * 1534 – ''Empêcher que''.^(TLFi)

+ * 1580 – ''S'empêcher de'', Montaigne.^(TLFi)

+ * 1867 – ''Empêcheur de danser en rond''.^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # To [[m|en|prevent]]: to make (something) impossible or stop it happening: ''empêcher un mariage'', ''empêcher que'' with the subjunctive.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(TLFi)

+ # ''Empêcher quelqu'un de'': to stop someone from (doing): ''le bruit m'empêche de dormir''.^(TLFi)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''Ne pas pouvoir s'empêcher de'': not to be able to help (doing): ''il ne put s'empêcher de rire''.^(Littré 1873)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(literary)'' To [[m|en|hamper]], encumber.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(TLFi)

+ # ''(Il) n'empêche que'', ''n'empêche'': all the same, nevertheless.^(DHLF 1992)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[empêchement]]

+ * [[empêcheur]]

+ * [[n'empêche]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[dépêcher]]

+ * [[piège]]

+ * [[pied]]

+ * [[en|impeach]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}