maintenir French · revision 16532

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=c. 1135, Couronnement de Louis|origins=la-vul *manūteneō}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /mɛ̃t.niʁ/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''maintenir'''^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|la-vul|*manūteneō|t=to hold with the hand]], from [[m|la|manū|t=with the hand]], ablative of [[m|la|manus|t=hand]], and [[m|la|teneō|t=to hold]], with the change of conjugation seen in [[tenir]].^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(GLLF 1989)^(FEW|6/1, 298a) Since the compound is found in all the Romance languages except Romanian, it must go back to Latin times.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)

+

+ Cognate with [[it|mantenere]], [[pro|mantener]], [[ca|mantenir]], [[es|mantener]] and [[pt|manter]].^(REW 1935)^(TLFi)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ In the ''Couronnement de Louis'' (about 1135) it means to protect, support, defend, Wace (1160–74) has the reflexive “to defend oneself”.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Old French gave it a wider range than today: to protect (about 1135), to hold as true (1174–76), and reflexively to be in a given state of health (about 1200) or to behave, senses that went out of use in the 16th century.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992) Modern French kept “to keep in the same state, make last” (''l'usage maintenir'', 1160) and “to affirm steadily” (1306–1309).^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992) From 1690 it is used of concrete things, “to hold firm, keep from falling”, reviving the etymological sense.^(DHLF 1992)^(TLFi)

+

+ The derivative ''maintenance'' (about 1155) had disappeared by the 17th century; it came back in the 20th from English ''maintenance'', itself from Middle French.^(DHLF 1992) ''Maintenant'', its present participle, first meant “at once” and took the modern sense “now” about the 16th century.^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 1135 – “To protect”, ''Couronnement de Louis''.^(TLFi)

+ * c. 1155 – ''Maintenance'', ''mainteneour''.^(DHLF 1992)

+ * 1160 – To keep up a custom, ''Roman d'Eneas''.^(TLFi)

+ * 1174–76 – “To hold as true”.^(TLFi)

+ * c. 1200 – ''Se maintenir'', to be in a state of health.^(TLFi)

+ * Late 13th century – ''Maintien''.^(DHLF 1992)

+ * 1309 – “To affirm”.^(TLFi)

+ * 1690 – “To hold firm”, Furetière.^(TLFi)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # To [[m|en|maintain]], keep up, preserve: ''maintenir l'ordre'', ''maintenir un malade en vie''.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Le Robert)

+ # To hold in position, keep from moving or falling: ''des étais maintiennent le mur'', ''maintenir la foule''.^(GLLF 1989)^(Larousse)

+ # To affirm, stand by: ''je l'ai dit et je le maintiens''.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Le Robert)

+ # ''Se maintenir'': to last, hold steady: ''le beau temps se maintient''; to keep one's position.^(Wiktionary)^(Littré 1873)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[maintien]]

+ * [[maintenance]]

+ * [[mainteneur]]

+ * [[maintenue]]

+ * [[maintenant]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[main]]

+ * [[tenir]]

+ * [[en|maintain]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}