griser

Griser is a French verb with several related senses centered on the idea of intoxication or dazzling influence. The primary sense is to intoxicate or to make someone drunk, usually by alcohol. It can also be used figuratively to describe something that excites, dazzles, or overwhelms the mind or senses, such as success, speed, or beauty. The reflexive form se griser means to get drunk or to be carried away by pleasure or excitement. In addition, grisant is the common masculine form of the present participle and functions as an adjective meaning intoxicating or dizzying, as in un parfum grisant or une allure grissante.

Griser is used transitively with a direct object, indicating the source of intoxication: il l’a rapidement grisé par son charme. It can also be used reflexively: elle s’est grisée à la fête. The expression des conséquences grisant describes effects that intoxicate or overwhelm someone. In figurative use, it often conveys a positive or enticing sense, but it can also imply loss of restraint.

Conjugation and forms: present indicative uses je grise, tu grises, il grise, nous grisons, vous grisez, ils grisent. The past participle is grisé (feminine grisée); present participle is grisant. The imperfect is je grisais, tu grisais, il grisait, nous griffisions, vous grisiez, ils grisaient. The verb also forms the standard compound tenses with être or avoir as appropriate, and its subjunctive forms follow the regular -er verb paradigm (que je grise, que nous grisions, etc.).

Usage notes: griser is common in standard French and can describe both literal intoxication and metaphorical intoxication by experiences, emotions, or advantages. Etymology traces back to Old French griser, with related senses evolving to include intoxicating intensity.