Keep off the grass, shut the door... medieval origins and modern-day usage of prière

Entering a charming little restaurant in the pretty small town of Lavaur in the Tarn just after Christmas, I was relieved to be both out of the cold and what the French call ‘mort de faim’ (ravenously hungry; not quite the literal translation ‘dying of hunger’). 

As I pulled the door to, I noticed a small panneau (sign) dangling from it, requesting: ‘Prière de fermer la porte’. I immediately understood the demand – ‘Please close the door’ – after all, heating a restaurant costs a pretty penny and guests already seated (déjà installés) would not appreciate the icy draft (courant d’air).

However, the use of the word prière (prayer) intrigued me, and instigated yet another etymological deep-dive borne of encounters and situations from everyday life in France. 

One might reasonably expect a similar request on a church door so that the congegation is not disturbed at an important spiritual moment, but I had never seen divine intervention evoked at a crêperie. 

First things first: the word prière dates from the 12th-Century Medieval Latin precaria, meaning supplication, itself from the feminine noun form of precarius (obtained by prayer, given out of kindness; precarious) in turn derived from preces (prayers, supplications). 

The use of ‘prière de’ followed by an infinitive verb allows one to express a request with a certain authority, even though not strictly godly. 

One might also read ‘prière de ne pas faire de bruit’ (please do not make any noise) or prière de ne pas marcher sur la pelouse (please do not walk on the grass). 

One is asking the noise-maker or grass-walker to adopt a certain gentle subservience and humility.