peser French · revision 17508

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

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /pə.ze/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''peser'''^(Wiktionary)

+ Old French also [[m|fro|peiser]], [[m|fro|poiser]], with the stressed forms ''poise'', ''peist''.^(Grand Robert 2005)^(Littré 1873)^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|fro|peser]], [[inh|la|pēnsō|t=to weigh; to judge]], through the popular form without /n/, an intensive of [[m|la|pendō|t=to weigh; to hang]].^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)^(Grand Robert 2005)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(FEW|8, 189b) The same Latin verb, with a late development of meaning, gave [[penser]] and [[panser]].^(DHLF 1992)^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Wiktionary) The noun [[poids]] keeps the vowel of the old stressed forms of the verb, ⟨poise⟩, later ⟨pèse⟩.^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ The sense “to be painful to someone”, not found in written Latin, must have existed in the spoken language, since it is also seen in [[es|pesar]] (12th century) and [[it|pesare]].^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989) Cognate with [[oc|pesar]], [[ca|pesar]] and [[pt|pesar]].^(Petit Robert 2007)^(REW 1935)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Its first sense, in the ''Vie de saint Alexis'' (about 1050), is figurative and impersonal: ''ce poise moi'', “it grieves me”; the ''Chanson de Roland'' has ''cui qu'en peist'', “whoever may be sorry for it”.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)^(Littré 1873)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The literal sense “to have a certain weight” is found about 1170, and transitive “to measure the weight of” in 1188.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992) The figurative “to weigh up, examine carefully” follows in 1197, and “to press with one's weight” about 1200.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992) ''Peser sur'' “to oppress (body or mind)” is from 1342, and “to have influence on” from 1689 (Madame de Sévigné).^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992) Estienne records ''peser ses paroles'' in 1538, and ''tout bien pesé'' appears in 1599.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ The old sense “to grieve” has died out.^(Littré 1873) In Switzerland and Quebec ''peser sur'' simply means “to press” (''peser sur le bouton'').^(DHLF 1992) Under the influence of English ''to weigh'', it is also used of a company's worth.^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 1050 – ''Ce poise moi'' “it grieves me”, in the ''Vie de saint Alexis''.^(TLFi)

+ * c. 1170 – “To have a certain weight”.^(TLFi)

+ * 1188 – “To weigh (something)”, in Aimon de Varennes.^(TLFi)

+ * 1197 – “To weigh up, consider”, in Hélinand.^(TLFi)

+ * 1342 – ''Peser sur'' “to weigh on (the mind)”.^(TLFi)

+ * 1538 – ''Peser ses paroles''.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)

+ * 1599 – ''Tout bien pesé''.^(DHLF 1992)

+ * 1689 – “To have influence”, in Madame de Sévigné.^(TLFi)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # ''(transitive)'' To [[m|en|weigh]], to measure the weight of: ''peser un objet avec une balance''.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Le Robert)

+ # ''(transitive)'' To weigh up, [[m|en|consider]] carefully: ''peser le pour et le contre'', ''peser ses mots''.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Le Robert)

+ # ''(intransitive)'' To have a certain weight, ''ne pas peser lourd'', to count for little.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''Peser sur'': to press on; to weigh on, [[m|en|burden]]; to [[m|en|influence]].^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Larousse)

+ # ''(Quebec, Switzerland)'' ''Peser sur'': to press (a button).^(DHLF 1992)

+ # ''(computing)'' Of a file, to have a given size.^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[pesage]]

+ * [[pesant]]

+ * [[pesée]]

+ * [[peseur]]

+ * [[peson]]

+ * [[soupeser]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[penser]]

+ * [[poids]]

+ * [[panser]]

+ * [[pendre]]

+ * [[la|pēnsō]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}