Learn English – the origin of “to leave to one’s own devices”

idioms

My father-in-law noted that when I leave my children to their own devices, nowadays it could mean that they were each playing on their own iPhone.

It got me to wondering what the source of this idiom is.

A Google search did not tell me so I thought I would ask here.

Best Answer

The source of this idiom is French, it seems.

The relevant definition in this case for "device" in the OED (<--free link!) is:

Will, pleasure, inclination, fancy, desire. In earlier use chiefly in phr. at one's (own) device [ < Old French à mon, ton, etc. devis] ; later only in pl.; now only in phr. left to one's own devices, etc., where it is associated with sense 6 (orig devis)

The earliest citation for this is the following from 1300:

Þat he ne suld rise, Al at his aun deuise.
Cursor Mundi

(This translates to something like "...that he shall rise, all at his own device.")

There's also a citation from 1303:

Hyt ys sloghenes and feyntes To take penaunce at þy dyuys
Handlyng Synne

(It translates to something like "it is slothfulness and sluggishness to take penance at thy devices", where "to take penance" according to the OED means "to accept another's hospitality without any special preparations having being made.")

See also this Middle English Dictionary entry.

Related Topic