énerver (la loi, les dispositions)
English translation: Undermine / subvert the law,…
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| 20:11 Aug 4, 2022 |
| French to English translations [PRO] Law/Patents - Law (general) / Legal commentaries - African countries | |||||
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|  Selected response from: Carol Gullidge United Kingdom Local time: 12:53 | ||||
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| Summary of answers provided | ||||
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| 2 +3 | Undermine the law,… |
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| 4 | to weaken the law |
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| 3 | invalidate OR disregard [but see the comment] |
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| 2 | [arguably both your guesses] |
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| Discussion entries: 4 | |
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Answers
1 hr confidence: 
[arguably both your guesses] Explanation: It looks like it can have both meanings. In the first link the meaning is the old one you find also in the dictionary of CNRTL https://www.cnrtl.fr/definition/énerver The second meaning is clearly as you said, and it seems to be a Subsaharian coniage, part of a natural process africanization of French on the continent. I didn't find any reference to its origin but its usage in the linked documents leaves little room for doubt. See also these links https://grandjournalcd.net/2021/03/28/rdc-affaire-widal-soco... https://www.afrik.com/l-africanisation-du-francais My confidence level is low however as I'm also just deducing without proven references -------------------------------------------------- Note added at 2 hrs (2022-08-04 22:17:31 GMT) -------------------------------------------------- The two usages after all seem not so different, even though normally different terms would be used. The idea is roughly "invalidating" or "ignoring" in the first as in the second example. I'm curious to hear what other French speakers think. |
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1 day 58 mins confidence:
to weaken the law Explanation: Enerver Littéraire a) [Le compl. d'obj. désigne une pers.] Faire perdre à quelqu'un ses forces physiques ou morales. Un des plus grands reproches qu'on puisse adresser à Louis XIV, c'est de s'être appliqué à énerver sa noblesse (Mérimée, Lettres Mmede la Rochejacquelein,1870, p. 290). b) [Le compl. d'obj. désigne une chose abstr.] Ôter le nerf, l'énergie, la vigueur de quelque chose; l'affaiblir, l'affadir. Énerver l'autorité, la religion, la loi (Ac. 1932) : 2. ... si l'ode et l'élégie appellent d'elles-mêmes l'harmonie entrecoupée, on remarque qu'elle ne fait qu'énerver le vers héroïque. Quinet, Napoléon,1836, p. 145. − Emploi pronom. réfl. Le siècle embourgeoisé s'énerve et les mœurs deviennent d'une fadeur qui me dégoûte (Gautier, Fracasse,1863, p. 318). Source: Le Dictionnaire TLFI https://www.bing.com/search?q=to weaken the law&qs=n&form=QB... |
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1 day 13 hrs confidence:
invalidate OR disregard [but see the comment] Explanation: If you have the two different contexts and usages as in your examples you may really want to go for two separate translations, one semantically closer to infringe/break the other closer to weaken/enervate/make void, what I can think of, sort of a middle ground but still more towards one sense than the other is "invalidate" or "disregard" |
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2 hrs confidence: peer agreement (net): +3
peer agreement (net): +3Undermine the law,… Explanation: Purely from the context provided here, hence the low CR. But it seems to make sense -------------------------------------------------- Note added at 14 hrs (2022-08-05 10:34:21 GMT) -------------------------------------------------- also Subvert, sabotage, disrupt,... -------------------------------------------------- Note added at 19 hrs (2022-08-05 15:17:23 GMT) -------------------------------------------------- Undermine = "lessen the effectiveness, power, or ability of, especially gradually or insidiously." -------------------------------------------------- Note added at 2 days 14 hrs (2022-08-07 10:46:36 GMT) Post-grading -------------------------------------------------- Thanks, glad to help! |
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