arrêter

See also: arreter

French

FWOTD – 18 April 2023

Etymology

  • Inherited from Middle French arrester (to stop), from Old French arester (to stay, stop), from Vulgar Latin *arrestāre, from Latin ad- (to) + restō (stop, remain behind, stay back). Compare English arrest.

    Pronunciation

    Verb

    arrêter

    1. (ambitransitive) to halt; to stop
    2. (archaic) to settle; to conclude; to agree (upon)
      • 1791, National Constituent Assembly, Constitution française, présentée au roi par l'Assemblée nationale, le 3 septembre 1791 [French constitution, presented to the King by the National Assembly on 3 September 1791], Dijon: Imprimerie de P. Causse, page 79:
        Aujour-d'hui que la Constitution est définitivement arrêtée...
        Now that the Constitution is definitively settled...
      • 1793, National Convention, Acte constitutionnel [Constitutional Act], Paris: Imprimerie de P. L. Siret, page 14:
        Le Corps législatif arrête les comptes.
        The Legislative Corps settles the accounts.
    3. (transitive) to arrest (a criminal, etc)
      Synonyms: appréhender, serrer
    4. (reflexive) to come to a stop
      • 2018, Zaz, J'aime j'aime:
        J'aime la solitude parfois, mais j'aime pas les cris quand ils ne s'arrêtent pas
        I sometimes like the loneliness, but I don't love the cries when they won't stop
    5. (Louisiana, Cajun) to wait
      Synonym: attendre

    Conjugation

    Derived terms

    Descendants

    • German: arretieren
    • Ladino: arretar

    Further reading

    Anagrams

    Norman

    Alternative forms

    Etymology

    From Old French arester (to stay, stop), from Vulgar Latin *arrestō, *arrestāre, from Latin ad- + restō, restāre (to stop, remain behind, stay back).

    Verb

    arrêter

    1. (Jersey) to stop
    2. (Jersey) to arrest

    Synonyms