esforcier

Old French

Etymology

From Vulgar Latin *exfortiāre, ultimately from Latin fortis (“strong”).

Verb

esforcier

1. to try; to make a large effort
2. to use force
3. to rape
4. to fortify; to reinforce
5. to force (someone to do something)
6. (reflexive, s'esforcier) to try; to attempt
   • 13^th Century, Author unknown, Le Vilain mire:

     Et la pucele qui ce voit,
     A tout le mal qu'ele sentoit,
     Vout rire, si s'en esforça
     Que de la bouche li vola
     L'areste hors enz el brasier.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   • c. 1250, Rutebeuf, Ci encoumence la vie de Sainte Elyzabel, fille au roi de Hongrie:

     Sachiez, ce mes oncles m'esforce
     Que je preigne mari a force,
     Je m'enfuirai en aucun leu

     Know that if my uncle forces me
     To take a husband against my will
     I will flee to any place [but here]

Conjugation

This verb conjugates as a first-group verb ending in -ier, with a palatal stem. These verbs are conjugated mostly like verbs in -er, but there is an extra i before the e of some endings. The forms that would normally end in *-c, *-cs, *-ct are modified to z, z, zt. In addition, c becomes ç before an a, o or u to keep the /ts/ sound intact. Old French conjugation varies significantly by date and by region. The following conjugation should be treated as a guide.

    Conjugation of esforcier (see also Appendix:Old French verbs)

		simple			compound
infinitive		esforcier			avoir esforcié
gerund		en esforçant			gerund of avoir + past participle
present participle		esforçant
past participle		esforcié
person		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative		jo	tu	il	nos	vos	il
simple tenses	present	esforz	esforces	esforce	esforçons	esforciez	esforcent
	imperfect	esforçoie, esforceie, esforçoe, esforcieve	esforçoies, esforceies, esforçoes, esforcieves	esforçoit, esforceit, esforçot, esforcieve	esforciiens, esforciens	esforciiez, esforciez	esforçoient, esforceient, esforçoent, esforcievent
	preterite	esforçai	esforças	esforça	esforçames	esforçastes	esforcierent
	future	esforcerai	esforceras	esforcera	esforcerons	esforceroiz, esforcereiz, esforcerez	esforceront
	conditional	esforceroie, esforcereie	esforceroies, esforcereies	esforceroit, esforcereit	esforceriiens, esforceriens	esforceriiez, esforceriez	esforceroient, esforcereient
compound tenses	present perfect	present tense of avoir + past participle
	pluperfect	imperfect tense of avoir + past participle
	past anterior	preterite tense of avoir + past participle
	future perfect	future tense of avoir + past participle
	conditional perfect	conditional tense of avoir + past participle
subjunctive		que jo	que tu	qu’il	que nos	que vos	qu’il
simple tenses	present	esforz	esforz	esforzt	esforçons	esforciez	esforcent
	imperfect	esforçasse	esforçasses	esforçast	esforcissons, esforcissiens	esforcissoiz, esforcissez, esforcissiez	esforçassent
compound tenses	past	present subjunctive of avoir + past participle
	pluperfect	imperfect subjunctive of avoir + past participle
imperative		–	tu	–	nos	vos	–
		—	esforce	—	esforçons	esforciez	—

Derived terms

• esfort

Related terms

• force

Descendants

• French: efforcer

References

• Godefroy, Frédéric, Dictionnaire de l’ancienne langue française et de tous ses dialectes du IX^e au XV^e siècle (1881) (esforcier)