causer French · revision 16736
18 Oct 2026, 11:48 by bogdan “French fr10k batch fr75l/b06: paquet, éteindre, troisième, couloir, mission, causer, radio, importance, vif, naturel” current version
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+ French has separately a verb ''causer'' “to cause”, formed on [[cause]], and a verb ''causer'' “to chat”, borrowed from Latin.^(Grand Robert 2005)^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)
+
+ {{homograph|1|to cause}}
+
+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=derivation|attested=c. 1275, Jean de Meun, Roman de la Rose|origins=la causa}}
+
+ ==Pronunciation==
+ * IPA: /ko.ze/^(Wiktionary)
+
+ ==Forms==
+ '''causer'''^(Wiktionary)
+
+ ==Etymology==
+ The verb “to cause” is formed [[af|fr|cause|-er]], from the noun meaning “reason, motive”.^(TLFi)^(Grand Robert 2005)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(Wiktionary) The noun is borrowed from [[la|causa|t=cause; lawsuit]].^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)
+
+ Compare [[es|causar]] and [[it|causare]].^(Littré 1873)
+
+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==
+ Jean de Meun's ''Roman de la Rose'' (about 1275) uses it for producing, being the origin of something; it was rare before the 16th century.^(TLFi)
+
+ ==Semantic evolution==
+ Oresme (about 1361) has ''se causer de'' “to base oneself on”, and Commynes uses it for “to be the cause of”.^(Littré 1873)^(GLLF 1989) Montaigne writes of an apoplexy ''que ce coup luy causa''.^(Littré 1873) In law ''causer'' is to state the grounds of an obligation (''une dette régulièrement causée'').^(GLLF 1989)
+
+ ==Timeline==
+ * c. 1275 – Jean de Meun.^(TLFi)
+ * c. 1361 – ''Se causer de'' “to base oneself on”, Oresme.^(GLLF 1989)
+ * 16th century – The verb becomes common.^(TLFi)
+
+ ==Meanings==
+ ===Verb===
+ # To [[m|en|cause]], bring about: ''causer un accident, des dégâts'', ''causer de la peine à quelqu'un''.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Wiktionary)
+ # ''(law)'' To state the grounds of (an obligation).^(GLLF 1989)
+
+ ==Word family==
+ * [[causation]]
+
+ {{homograph|2|to chat}}
+
+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=1174|origins=la causa}}
+
+ ==Pronunciation==
+ * IPA: /ko.ze/^(Wiktionary)
+
+ ==Forms==
+ '''causer'''^(Wiktionary)
+
+ ==Etymology==
+ The verb “to chat” is [[bor|la|causor|t=to plead; to put forward as a reason, object]], from [[m|la|causa|t=lawsuit, cause]].^(DHLF 1992)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(Grand Robert 2005)^(FEW|2, 543b)^(Wiktionary) An active form [[m|la|causō|alt=causare]] is found in the 6th century (Cassiodorus).^(DHLF 1992) The inherited form of the Latin verb is Old French [[m|fro|choser|t=to blame, scold]] (about 1125), still alive in a Norman verb causer “to blame”.^(DHLF 1992)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989) Littré rejected Diez's view that [[goh|chôsôn]] played a part.^(Littré 1873)
+
+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==
+ In 1174 it is a legal term: to summon someone before a court to explain himself.^(DHLF 1992)
+
+ ==Semantic evolution==
+ In Old and Middle French it meant “to reason, explain” (reflexive about 1265, transitive in the 14th century).^(DHLF 1992) The modern sense “to chat” (1572) is a French extension of the idea of discussion implied in “to plead”.^(DHLF 1992)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989) It soon took a negative turn, “to mock” (16th century), “to speak ill of” (1662) and “to gossip” (1690).^(DHLF 1992) Classical authors condemned ''causer à'' in favour of ''causer avec''.^(DHLF 1992)
+
+ Today ''causer'' often sounds less educated than ''parler'' in European French, but it is neutral in several regions; in Martinique it is used for talking on the telephone.^(DHLF 1992) Familiar phrases are ''cause toujours !'' and ''causer chiffons''.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Wiktionary)
+
+ ==Timeline==
+ * c. 1125 – Inherited ''choser'' “to blame”.^(DHLF 1992)
+ * 1174 – Legal sense.^(DHLF 1992)
+ * c. 1265 – ''Se causer'' “to reason”.^(DHLF 1992)
+ * 1534 – ''Causeur'', Rabelais.^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)
+ * 1572 – “To chat”.^(DHLF 1992)
+ * 1690 – “To gossip”.^(DHLF 1992)
+
+ ==Meanings==
+ ===Verb===
+ # To [[m|en|chat]], talk: ''causer avec quelqu'un'', ''causer de choses et d'autres'', ''assez causé !''.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Wiktionary)
+ # ''(familiar)'' To talk about: ''causer politique''; to speak (a language): ''causer anglais''.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Wiktionary)
+ # To gossip, talk indiscreetly: ''on commence à causer''.^(DHLF 1992)^(Petit Robert 2007)
+ # ''(familiar)'' ''Cause toujours !'': talk away, I'm not listening.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Wiktionary)
+
+ ==Word family==
+ * [[causerie]]
+ * [[causette]]
+ * [[causeur]]
+ * [[causeuse]]
+
+ ==Related words==
+ * [[cause]]
+ * [[chose]]
+ * [[la|causa]]
+
+ ==References==
+ {{reflist}}