accomplissant

Accomplissant is the present participle of the French verb accomplir, meaning to accomplish or to fulfill. It denotes an action in progress and is most often encountered in phrases that express simultaneous action or a manner of proceeding, typically with the particle en.

Origin and formation: The form derives from the verb accomplir, which itself comes from Old French acomplylir and ultimately from Latin ad complere, “to fill up, to complete.” The present participle is formed by adding the suffix -issant to the stem, yielding accomplissant. As a participle, it has masculine singular form accomplissant and feminine singular form accomplissante, with regular agreement in gender and number when used adjectivally.

Usage and grammar: The principal use of accomplissant is in the gerundial construction en accomplissant, which expresses something done simultaneously with another action, for example, En accomplissant sa mission, il a gagné le respect (By accomplishing his mission, he earned respect). While the present participle can sometimes function as an adjective, this adjectival use is relatively rare and often sounds literary or archaic; more common is the use of the past participle accompli to express completed actions or statuses.

Related forms: The noun corresponding to the action is l’accomplissement, meaning achievement or accomplishment. The verb itself is accomplir; its past participle is accompli, used to describe completed actions or states. The present participle partagera with other verb forms, but for most everyday purposes, accompli and other constructions are preferred.

Notes: Accomplissant is primarily a literary or formal grammatical construction in contemporary French. In ordinary prose, speakers more frequently employ en accomplissant or switch to the past participle accomp­li.