prêter French · revision 17028

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=c. 1138, Gaimar (prester)|origins=la praestō}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /pʁɛ.te/^(Wiktionary)

+ * IPA: /pʁe.te/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''prêter'''^(Wiktionary)

+ Old French ''prester''; the Académie wrote ''prester'' in 1694 and 1718, ''prêter'' from 1740.^(Grand Robert 2005)^(TLFi)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|fro|prester]], [[inh|la|praestō|t=to make available, provide; to guarantee]].^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)^(Grand Robert 2005)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(Wiktionary)^(FEW|9, 314a) In late Latin the verb often stood for “dare” “to give” and took the sense of lending an object or money.^(DHLF 1992)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(Grand Robert 2005) Rey connects it most probably with the adverb [[m|la|praestō|t=at hand]], Littré and the GLLF analyse it as [[m|la|prae-|t=before]] and [[m|la|stō|t=to stand]].^(DHLF 1992)^(Littré 1873)^(GLLF 1989)

+

+ “Prêter serment” copies Latin “ius iurandum praestare”.^(TLFi) Cognate with [[it|prestare]], [[es|prestar]], [[pt|prestar]] and [[ro|presta]].^(Wiktionary)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Gaimar's ''Estoire des Engleis'' (about 1138–1140) uses it for putting something at someone's disposal.^(TLFi)^(Grand Robert 2005)^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Lending something on condition that it be returned is in Marie de France (1180), and became the everyday sense from the 16th century, with ''prêter sur gage'' (1585) and ''prêter à la petite semaine'' (1845).^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992) Bloch and Wartburg think this was the only truly popular sense, the others being taken from Latin.^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)

+

+ The sense “to grant, confer” (about 1225) gave ''prêter l'oreille'' (1269, Jean de Meun), ''prêter serment'' (1538) and ''prêter attention'' (1548); ''prêter la main'' (about 1562) and ''prêter main-forte'' (1636) mean to help.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992) Montaigne (1588) uses it for attributing a quality, whence ''on ne prête qu'aux riches'' (1845).^(TLFi) ''Se prêter à'' “to lend oneself to” is in Montaigne (1580), and the intransitive sense “to stretch” of a cloth in Richelet (1680).^(TLFi) In Louisiana ''prêter'' means “to borrow”.^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 1138 – ''Prester'', Gaimar.^(Grand Robert 2005)^(TLFi)

+ * 1180 – To lend, Marie de France.^(TLFi)

+ * 1269 – ''Prester l'oreille'', Jean de Meun.^(TLFi)

+ * 1538 – ''Prêter serment'', Robert Estienne.^(TLFi)

+ * 1580 – ''Se prêter'', Montaigne.^(TLFi)

+ * 1636 – ''Prêter main-forte''.^(TLFi)

+ * 1808 – ''C'est un prêté pour un rendu''.^(TLFi)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # To [[m|en|lend]]: ''prêter un livre, de l'argent à qqn''.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Wiktionary)

+ # To give, provide: ''prêter assistance'', ''prêter main-forte'', ''prêter attention'', ''prêter serment''.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Wiktionary)

+ # To [[m|en|attribute]], ascribe: ''prêter des intentions à qqn'', ''on ne prête qu'aux riches''.^(TLFi)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''Prêter à'': to give rise to: ''prêter à confusion'', ''prêter à rire'', ''prêter le flanc'', to lay oneself open.^(TLFi)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''Se prêter à'': to lend oneself to; to go along with.^(TLFi)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(Louisiana)'' To borrow.^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[prêt]]

+ * [[prêteur]]

+ * [[prête-nom]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[emprunter]]

+ * [[prestation]]

+ * [[la|praestō]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}