abaisser

French

Etymology

Middle French, from Old French abaissier, from a (“to, towards”) + baissier (“to lower”). See Modern French à, baisser

Pronunciation
  • (Europe) IPA(key): /a.bɛ.se/, /a.be.se/
  • (Quebec) IPA(key): /a.bɛː.se/
  • audio(file)

Verb

abaisser

  1. (literally, transitive) To lower; to reduce; to bring down
  2. (reflexive, transitive) To come or go down; to descend.
  3. (figuratively, reflexive, transitive) To humble oneself, demean oneself, stoop; abase, degrade, humiliate.
    Le fils répentant s'abaissait en abaissant sa culotte pour une fessée bien-méritée
    The repenting son humbled himself by lowering his briefs for a well-deserved spanking

Conjugation
Conjugation of abaisser (see also Appendix:French verbs)
present participle abaissant
/a.bɛ.sɑ̃/
past participle abaissé
/a.bɛ.se/
infinitive
simple abaisser
compound avoir + past participle
gerund1
simple abaissant
/a.bɛ.sɑ̃/
compound ayant + past participle
singular plural
first second third first second third
indicative je (j’) tu il, elle nous vous ils, elles
(simple
tenses)		 present abaisse
/a.bɛs/		 abaisses
/a.bɛs/		 abaisse
/a.bɛs/		 abaissons
/a.bɛ.sɔ̃/		 abaissez
/a.bɛ.se/		 abaissent
/a.bɛs/
imperfect abaissais
/a.bɛ.sɛ/		 abaissais
/a.bɛ.sɛ/		 abaissait
/a.bɛ.sɛ/		 abaissions
/a.bɛ.sjɔ̃/		 abaissiez
/a.bɛ.sje/		 abaissaient
/a.bɛ.sɛ/
past historic2 abaissai
/a.bɛ.se/		 abaissas
/a.bɛ.sa/		 abaissa
/a.bɛ.sa/		 abaissâmes
/a.bɛ.sam/		 abaissâtes
/a.bɛ.sat/		 abaissèrent
/a.bɛ.sɛʁ/
future abaisserai
/a.bɛ.sʁe/		 abaisseras
/a.bɛ.sʁa/		 abaissera
/a.bɛ.sʁa/		 abaisserons
/a.bɛ.sʁɔ̃/		 abaisserez
/a.bɛ.sʁe/		 abaisseront
/a.bɛ.sʁɔ̃/
conditional abaisserais
/a.bɛ.sʁɛ/		 abaisserais
/a.bɛ.sʁɛ/		 abaisserait
/a.bɛ.sʁɛ/		 abaisserions
/a.bɛ.sə.ʁjɔ̃/		 abaisseriez
/a.bɛ.sə.ʁje/		 abaisseraient
/a.bɛ.sʁɛ/
(compound
tenses)		 present perfect present indicative of avoir + past participle
pluperfect imperfect indicative of avoir + past participle
past anterior2 past historic of avoir + past participle
future perfect future of avoir + past participle
conditional perfect conditional of avoir + past participle
subjunctive que je (j’) que tu qu’il, qu’elle que nous que vous qu’ils, qu’elles
(simple
tenses)		 present abaisse
/a.bɛs/		 abaisses
/a.bɛs/		 abaisse
/a.bɛs/		 abaissions
/a.bɛ.sjɔ̃/		 abaissiez
/a.bɛ.sje/		 abaissent
/a.bɛs/
imperfect2 abaissasse
/a.bɛ.sas/		 abaissasses
/a.bɛ.sas/		 abaissât
/a.bɛ.sa/		 abaissassions
/a.bɛ.sa.sjɔ̃/		 abaissassiez
/a.bɛ.sa.sje/		 abaissassent
/a.bɛ.sas/
(compound
tenses)		 past present subjunctive of avoir + past participle
pluperfect2 imperfect subjunctive of avoir + past participle
imperative – tu – nous vous –
simple — abaisse
/a.bɛs/		 — abaissons
/a.bɛ.sɔ̃/		 abaissez
/a.bɛ.se/		 —
compound — simple imperative of avoir + past participle — simple imperative of avoir + past participle simple imperative of avoir + past participle —
1 Only usable with preposition en.
2 In less formal writing or speech, the past historic, past anterior, imperfect subjunctive and pluperfect subjunctive tenses may be found to have been replaced with the indicative present perfect, indicative pluperfect, present subjunctive and past subjunctive tenses respectively (Christopher Kendris [1995], Master the Basics: French, pp. 77, 78, 79, 81).

Antonyms

Derived terms

Descendants

References
  • Nouveau Petit Larousse illustré. Dictionnaire encyclopédique. Paris, Librairie Larousse, 1952, 146th edition

Further reading

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