Etymologically
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entourage

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 12 October 2026 at 03:59. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈɒn.tʊ.ɹɑːʒ/, /ˈɑ̃ː.tʊ.ɹɑːʒ/ (UK); /ˈɑn.tə.ɹɑʒ/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French entourage,[2][3][4][5][6] from entourer “to surround”,[2][3][4][5] from Old French entour “that which surrounds, around”,[2][3][4][5] from en “in” and tour “circuit”.[2][3][4][5] It is related to tour.[2][3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Surroundings or environment (1832–34), a word taken up by De Quincey.[7][3][4]

Semantic evolution

The specific sense of the people who surround a person of importance was recorded in English by 1860,[3][4] and it is now the main sense.[2][5][6]

Timeline

  • 1832–34 – surroundings, environment.[7][3][4]
  • 1860 – a group of attendants.[3][4]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A group of attendants or associates; a retinue.
  2. One's surroundings or environment.

Usage notes

Random House gives retinue, following, cortege and escort as synonyms.[6]

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c d e Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b c Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  7. ^ a b Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press