cesser French · revision 17244

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=c. 1050, Vie de saint Alexis|origins=la cēdō}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /sɛ.se/^(Wiktionary)

+ * IPA: /se.se/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''cesser'''^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|la|cessō|t=to delay, loiter; to stop, be idle]], the frequentative of [[m|la|cēdō|t=to go away, withdraw; to yield]] (whence [[céder]]).^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(Grand Robert 2005)^(FEW|2, 615a) Bloch and Wartburg explain the sense “to cease” by the Latin meaning “to delay, drag on”, Wiktionary takes the Old French verb as an early borrowing.^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(Wiktionary) The Latin senses “to delay” and “to be lacking” were lost in the 16th century.^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ Cognate with [[it|cessare]], [[pro|cessar]], [[es|cesar]] and [[pt|cessar]].^(Petit Robert 2007)^(REW 1935)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The ''Vie de saint Alexis'' (about 1050) has ''ne cesser de'' “not to stop from”, and in the ''Chanson de Roland'' the pagans ''ne volent cesser unke'' “never want to stop”.^(TLFi)^(Littré 1873)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ It meant “to come to an end” of the wind about 1160 (''Eneas'': ''li vanz failli, del tot cessa''), and became transitive, “to stop (something)”, in Wace (1130–40).^(TLFi) ''Faire cesser'' dates from about 1360, and ''toute affaire cessante'' from La Fontaine (1666).^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992) In the 17th century the transitive verb could be passive with ''être'', where modern French uses the intransitive with ''avoir''.^(GLLF 1989) Today it is somewhat more formal than [[arrêter]] and [[finir]].^(DHLF 1992)^(Grand Robert 2005) The noun [[cesse]] (about 1155) survives in ''sans cesse'' and ''n'avoir de cesse que'', ''cessez-le-feu'' (1945) is perhaps influenced by [[en|cease-fire]].^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 1050 – ''Ne cesser de'', ''Vie de saint Alexis''.^(TLFi)

+ * 1130–40 – Transitive, Wace.^(TLFi)

+ * c. 1155 – ''Cesse''.^(DHLF 1992)

+ * c. 1160 – Of the wind, “to stop”, ''Eneas''.^(TLFi)

+ * c. 1370 – ''Cessation''.^(DHLF 1992)

+ * 1552 – ''Incessant''.^(DHLF 1992)

+ * 1945 – ''Cessez-le-feu''.^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # Of a thing: to [[m|en|cease]], stop, come to an end: ''le vent a cessé'', ''faire cesser un abus''.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Le Robert)

+ # ''Cesser de'' + infinitive: to stop doing: ''il a cessé de pleuvoir'', ''ne pas cesser de'', to keep on.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(GLLF 1989)

+ # ''(transitive)'' To stop, discontinue: ''cesser le travail'', ''cesser le feu''.^(GLLF 1989)^(Littré 1873)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[cesse]]

+ * [[cessation]]

+ * [[cessant]]

+ * [[incessant]]

+ * [[incessamment]]

+ * [[cessez-le-feu]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[céder]]

+ * [[la|cessō]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}