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Definition 2024


sevrer

sevrer

French

Verb

sevrer

  1. to wean

Conjugation

This verb is conjugated mostly like the regular -er verbs (parler and chanter and so on), but the -e- /ə/ of the second-to-last syllable becomes -è- /ɛ/ when the next vowel is a silent or schwa -e-. For example, in the third-person singular present indicative, we have il sèvre rather than *il sevre. Other verbs conjugated this way include lever and mener. Related but distinct conjugations include those of appeler and préférer.

Derived terms


Old French

Etymology

From Latin sēparāre, present active infinitive of sēparō.

Verb

sevrer

  1. to separate
    • circa 1150, Thomas d'Angleterre, Le Roman de Tristan, page 144 (of the Champion Classiques edition, ISBN 2-7453-0520-4), line 1632:
      que sun cors puise de mei sevrer
      that his body may be able to separate from me
  2. to sever (to separate by cutting)

Conjugation

This verb conjugates as a first-group verb ending in -er. In the present tense an extra supporting e is needed in the first-person singular indicative and throughout the singular subjunctive, and the third-person singular subjunctive ending -t is lost. This verb has a stressed present stem soivr distinct from the unstressed stem sevr. Old French conjugation varies significantly by date and by region. The following conjugation should be treated as a guide.

Related terms

Descendants