gaspiller

French

Etymology

Inherited from Middle French gaspiller (“to waste”), of uncertain origin. Perhaps a modification of Middle French gaspailler (“to throw back, reject bullets of wheat”), from Old French gaspail, vaspale (“bullet of wheat”) (compare Medieval Latin gaspalium; Old Northern French waspail (“chaff”), from Frankish *wispila (“measure of grain”), from Proto-Germanic *wisp- (“measure of grain”). Akin to Middle Dutch and Middle Low German wispel; Norwegian visp; English wisp (“handful or bundle of hay or grass”). More at English wisp.

Alternate etymology connects Middle French gaspiller to Frankish *gaspilþijan (“to waste”), from Proto-Germanic *spilþijaną (“to destroy, waste”), from Proto-Indo-European *spel- (“to break off, split”), making it cognate with Old High German gaspildan (“to squander, waste”), Middle Dutch spillen (“to waste”), Old English ġespillan (“to spill, waste, spend”). Compare also Occitan guespillar, gispillar (“to trouble, tease”) from the same Germanic source. See English spill.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡas.pi.je/

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Verb

gaspiller

1. to waste

Conjugation

Derived terms

• gaspillage
• gaspilleur

Further reading

• “gaspiller”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé , 2012.

Middle French

Verb

gaspiller

1. to destroy; wreck
   • 1561, Jean Zonaras, Maumont, Les Histoires et chroniques du Monde tirées tant du gros volume de Ian Zonaras, page 423

     Et sur cela, d'eux entrebatre, gaspiller, sabouler au public marché

     And upon this, to fight, destroy and shake them up in the public market

Conjugation

• Middle French conjugation varies from one text to another. Hence, the following conjugation should be considered as typical, not as exhaustive.