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Notes to myself on semantics of the French word dérober, in the hope that I don't have to keep looking it up EVERY GODDAMN TIME, with examples from Hugo's Notre-Dame de Paris.
The root meaning (from Germanic, related to English rob) is ‘to steal’ (construed with à to indicate ‘from’):
... quand il fut sûr, bien sûr qu'elle n'y était plus, que c'en était fait, qu'on la lui avit dérobée, il remonta lentement l'escalier ... (XI, 2)
when he was sure, really sure that she was no more, that it was done, that she had been stolen from him, he slowly climbed back up the stairway
Phœbus trouva « le moment » bon pour lui dérober un nouveau baiser ... (VII, 8)
Phœbus considered the moment right to steal another kiss
Both these uses are somewhat figurative, but in modern use the literal meaning is still pretty common.
It can also mean ‘to conceal, screen’:
... enfin un pli de terrain lui eut dérobé en entier cet odieux Paris ... (IX, 1)
finally a fold of land had screened odious Paris from him completely
Les spectateurs placés aux fenêtres pouvaient apercevoir au fond du tombereau ses jambes nues qu'elle tâchait de dérober sous elle ... (VIII, 6)
Spectators positioned at the windows could make out, at the end of the tumbril, her naked legs which she was trying to hide underneath herself
And ‘hide’ in an intransitive sense can be achieved by using the reflexive (or pronominal) form:
... cette procession singulière, qui semblait si intéressée à se dérober sous une profonde obscurité, ne gardait pas un silence moins profond. (X, 4)
this singular procession, which seemed so interested in hiding beneath a profound darkness, kept up a silence no less profound
... il se déroba aux patrouilles, il évita les sentinelles. (Les Mis)
he hid from patrols, avoided the watchmen.
Strangely, this pronominal form also often means ‘to give way, collapse’:
Ses genoux se dérobèrent sous lui, et il s'affaissa sur le pavé ... (IX, 1)
His knees gave way under him, and he sank on to the stone floor
That was a party political broadcast on behalf of the word dérober.
The root meaning (from Germanic, related to English rob) is ‘to steal’ (construed with à to indicate ‘from’):
... quand il fut sûr, bien sûr qu'elle n'y était plus, que c'en était fait, qu'on la lui avit dérobée, il remonta lentement l'escalier ... (XI, 2)
when he was sure, really sure that she was no more, that it was done, that she had been stolen from him, he slowly climbed back up the stairway
Phœbus trouva « le moment » bon pour lui dérober un nouveau baiser ... (VII, 8)
Phœbus considered the moment right to steal another kiss
Both these uses are somewhat figurative, but in modern use the literal meaning is still pretty common.
It can also mean ‘to conceal, screen’:
... enfin un pli de terrain lui eut dérobé en entier cet odieux Paris ... (IX, 1)
finally a fold of land had screened odious Paris from him completely
Les spectateurs placés aux fenêtres pouvaient apercevoir au fond du tombereau ses jambes nues qu'elle tâchait de dérober sous elle ... (VIII, 6)
Spectators positioned at the windows could make out, at the end of the tumbril, her naked legs which she was trying to hide underneath herself
And ‘hide’ in an intransitive sense can be achieved by using the reflexive (or pronominal) form:
... cette procession singulière, qui semblait si intéressée à se dérober sous une profonde obscurité, ne gardait pas un silence moins profond. (X, 4)
this singular procession, which seemed so interested in hiding beneath a profound darkness, kept up a silence no less profound
... il se déroba aux patrouilles, il évita les sentinelles. (Les Mis)
he hid from patrols, avoided the watchmen.
Strangely, this pronominal form also often means ‘to give way, collapse’:
Ses genoux se dérobèrent sous lui, et il s'affaissa sur le pavé ... (IX, 1)
His knees gave way under him, and he sank on to the stone floor
That was a party political broadcast on behalf of the word dérober.