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tryst

Etymology and origin of the English word tryst

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Formation
Borrowing
Borrowed from
Old French triste via Middle English

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /tɹɪst/, /tɹaɪst/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English triste (“an appointed station in hunting”),[2][3][4] borrowed from Old French triste, variant of tristre “a waiting place where hunters await game”,[2][4][5] probably from a Scandinavian source such as Old Norse treysta “to trust, make firm”.[4][5][6] It is related to trust.[3][6][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

An appointed station (about 1200 in Etymonline), or a mutual appointment or agreement (about 1375 in the OED).[5][7]

Semantic evolution

Etymonline explains the original idea as “a place where one waits trustingly”.[5] By the late 14th century the word meant an appointment to meet at a certain time and place,[5][7] and also the meeting place itself.[7] In Scotland it was also used for a cattle market or fair.[5][1] Today it usually means a secret meeting of lovers.[6][1]

Timeline

  • about 1200 – triste, an appointed station.[5]
  • 1375 – an appointment to meet; a meeting place.[7][4]
  • about 1375 – verb, to make an agreement to meet.[7]
  • about 1425 – an appointed meeting or assembly.[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. An agreement, especially between lovers, to meet at a certain time and place.
  2. The meeting itself, or its agreed place.

Verb

  1. To make or keep a tryst.

Word family

  • tryster
  • trust
  • rendezvous

Usage notes

Random House lists assignation and rendezvous as synonyms.[6]

References

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

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Tryst.” Etymologically, 15 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/tryst. Accessed 15 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·