taire French · revision 17297

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

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /tɛʁ/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''taire'''^(Wiktionary)

+ The regular Old French infinitive was [[m|fro|taisir]] (1145), still used in the 15th century, beside ''taisier'' (about 1210).^(DHLF 1992)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)

+ The past participle is ''tu'', ''tue'', ''il tait'' has no circumflex.^(Petit Robert 2007)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|fro|taire]], [[inh|la|taceō|t=to be silent; to say nothing of]]: by 980 the infinitive had been remade from [[m|fro|taisir]], the regular outcome of the Latin verb.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)^(Grand Robert 2005)^(FEW|13/1, 26b) The new infinitive followed verbs such as [[faire]] and [[plaire]] beside “plaisir”, Littré thinks it shows an early misplaced stress “tacère”.^(DHLF 1992)^(Wiktionary)^(Littré 1873) The Latin verb has an exact Germanic counterpart in [[got|𐌸𐌰𐌷𐌰𐌽|tr=þahan|t=to be silent]] and [[goh|dagēn]], Saussure compared [[grc|πτήσσω|tr=ptḗssō|t=to cower]].^(DHLF 1992)^(Littré 1873)

+

+ The word is used in only part of Gallo-Romance: the east and the Franco-Provençal area have forms of [[la-vul|*quētiō]], from [[la|quiētus|t=at rest]] (compare [[coi]]), and the south-west forms like [[es|callar]].^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ In the ''Passion'' of Clermont (late 10th century) Jesus is silent before his accusers: ''Judeu l'acusent, el se tais''.^(TLFi)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The ''Chanson de Roland'' has the order ''Tais, Oliver'' and ''Ambdui vos en taisez!'' “be silent, both of you”.^(TLFi)^(Littré 1873) The intransitive use “to be silent” gave way to the reflexive ''se taire''; the reflexive, which first also meant to refrain from doing something, was limited to speech by about 1230, and it means to keep a secret from 1549.^(DHLF 1992) Transitive ''taire'' “to keep quiet about, hide” is in the Oxford Psalter, and of feelings in Bossuet (1683).^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992) Popular ''taire sa gueule'' (1744) continues ''taire sa boche'' (about 1225); ''faire taire'' “to silence” dates from 1538.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ Of things it is used of the waves (late 13th century) and of grief (''la douleur qui se tait'', Racine, 1667).^(TLFi) Belgian ''taiseux'' “taciturn” spread to France in the 1990s.^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * Late 10th century – ''El se tais'', ''Passion'' of Clermont.^(TLFi)

+ * c. 1100 – ''Tais, Oliver'', ''Chanson de Roland''.^(TLFi)

+ * 1145 – ''Taisir''.^(DHLF 1992)^(Grand Robert 2005)

+ * c. 1225 – ''Taire sa boche''.^(TLFi)

+ * 1538 – ''Faire taire''.^(DHLF 1992)

+ * 1667 – ''La douleur qui se tait'', Racine.^(TLFi)

+ * 1744 – ''Taire sa gueule'', Vadé.^(TLFi)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # ''Se taire'': to be [[m|en|silent]], stop talking; to keep quiet about something, not reveal a secret: ''tais-toi!''.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''Se taire'': (of things) to fall silent, stop making a sound: ''les oiseaux se sont tus''.^(TLFi)

+ # To keep secret, not to say: ''taire un nom''.^(Wiktionary)^(GLLF 1989)

+ # ''(literary)'' Not to show (a feeling): ''taire son chagrin''.^(GLLF 1989)

+ # ''Faire taire'': to [[m|en|silence]]; to suppress.^(DHLF 1992)

+ # ''(vulgar)'' ''Taire sa gueule'': to shut up.^(GLLF 1989)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[taiseux]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[tacite]]

+ * [[taciturne]]

+ * [[réticence]]

+ * [[la|taceō]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}