estinguier

Estinguier is a French verb that means to extinguish or to quench, and is now largely limited to historical, literary, or regional usage. In contemporary standard French, the common verb for putting out a fire or a light is éteindre; estinguier survives mainly in older texts and in poetic or archaic styles as a synonym of éteindre.

Etymology and historical usage

Estinguier derives from Old French estingier, itself from Latin exstinguere. It appears in medieval and early modern French writings as part of the traditional set of verbs meaning to put out a flame or to extinguish life or light. Over time, éteindre became the dominant form in everyday language, while estinguier gradually faded from common use.

Usage notes

Today, estinguier is primarily encountered in literary works, historical or religious prose, and dialectal regions. It is important for readers to recognize its archaic status when encountering it in texts, as its presence may signal a historical or stylistic context rather than contemporary speech. The verb is typically interchangeable with éteindre in meaning within those older or stylistic contexts, though modern readers often rely on éteindre for clarity.

See also

Extincteur (fire extinguisher) is the modern term used in French for devices designed to extinguish fires, a distinct word from estinguier.

References

Dictionaries of French consider estinguier an archaic or literary variant of éteindre, with attestations in older-language sources and certain regional usages.