mentir French · revision 16513

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=late 10th century, Passion de Clermont|origins=la mēns}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /mɑ̃.tiʁ/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''mentir'''^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|la-vul|mentiō|alt=mentīre]], for classical [[m|la|mentior|alt=mentīrī|t=to lie; to invent, feign]], from [[m|la|mēns|t=mind]].^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(Grand Robert 2005)^(Wiktionary)^(FEW|6/1, 741b) Rey thinks the first sense of the Latin verb was probably “to imagine, invent”, and that “not to tell the truth” came by understatement, Littré too explains it as “to imagine”.^(DHLF 1992)^(Littré 1873) “Mēns” belongs to the Indo-European root “*men-” “to think”, also seen in [[mental]] and [[mémoire]].^(Petit Robert 2007)

+

+ Cognate with [[it|mentire]], [[pro|mentir]], [[es|mentir]] and [[ro|minți]].^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)

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+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ In the ''Passion de Clermont'' (late 10th century) Christ is called ''li bons qui non mentid'', “the good one who never broke his word”: the first sense is to fail to keep one's word.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ That sense lived on in ''bon sang ne peut mentir'' (about 1150 in an old form; 1611) and ''faire mentir le proverbe'' (1690).^(DHLF 1992)^(GLLF 1989) The modern sense, to assert as true what one knows to be false, is in the ''Chanson de Roland'' (about 1100): ''cuivert paien, vus i avez mentit''.^(TLFi)^(Littré 1873) Chrétien de Troyes uses it figuratively of the eyes (about 1170), and ''sans mentir'' “truly” dates from about 1160.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992) ''Il ment comme il respire'' (1921) comes from an 1852 phrase, ''se mentir'' “to deceive oneself” is from 1838.^(DHLF 1992) In Old French a thing that failed to work was said to ''mentir''.^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * Late 10th century – “To break one's word”, ''Passion de Clermont''.^(TLFi)

+ * c. 1100 – “To lie”, ''Chanson de Roland''.^(TLFi)

+ * c. 1135 – ''Menteresse''.^(DHLF 1992)

+ * 1155 – ''Menteur''.^(DHLF 1992)

+ * c. 1160 – ''Sans mentir''.^(GLLF 1989)

+ * 1690 – ''Faire mentir le proverbe''.^(GLLF 1989)

+ * 1921 – ''Il ment comme il respire''.^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # To [[m|en|lie]], tell lies: ''tu mens!'', ''mentir à quelqu'un''.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''Sans mentir'': truly, honestly.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Littré 1873)

+ # ''Faire mentir'': to prove wrong: ''faire mentir le proverbe''.^(GLLF 1989)^(BHVF)

+ # ''Se mentir'': to fool oneself.^(DHLF 1992)

+ # Set phrases: ''mentir comme un arracheur de dents'', to lie through one's teeth, ''à beau mentir qui vient de loin''.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(GLLF 1989)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[menteur]]

+ * [[menterie]]

+ * [[démentir]]

+ * [[démenti]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[mensonge]]

+ * [[mental]]

+ * [[la|mentior]]

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+ ==Usage notes==

+ ''Le mentir'', the infinitive used as a noun (Montaigne: ''le mentir est un maudit vice''), has been replaced by [[mensonge]].^(Littré 1873)^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}