Etymologically
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à

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Pronunciation

Forms

à[1] Old French a, beside the Latinate spellings ad (to the 13th century) and ab (to the 15th).[2] The grave accent was introduced in 1533 and was general in dictionaries by 1606.[2] Contracted with the definite article: au (from a le, al) and aux (from a les, als); they prevailed over a le, a les in the 13th century.[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French a, from Latin ad (“to, towards”), which expressed movement towards a place or person and in spoken Latin often replaced the dative and the genitive.[4][5][2][3] Some of its uses come from ab (“from, away from”), expressing separation and origin,[2][6][7] and, from apud (“at, with”) in a popular form *abu.[2][3] Rey explains the single French form by the confusion of “ab” with “ad”, and of “apud” with “ad”, in Merovingian times (6th–7th centuries).[2] The Grand Larousse adds that it took over some uses of Old French od (“with”).[8]

Cognate with Italian a, Occitan a and Spanish a.[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Strasbourg Oaths (842) have the form ab (from apud); a and ad of direction are well attested by the middle of the 11th century, as in the Chanson de Roland: Seigneur baron, à Charlemagne irez “lords, you will go to Charlemagne”.[2][7]

Semantic evolution

In Old French a had more uses than today.[2] It marked the instrument and manner (881, “with”), comparison, and, from ab, the point of departure where modern French has de (prendre congé a qqn, mid-11th century).[2] It also introduced the possessor, as still in la barque à Charon and popular la fille à Pierre.[2] Many verbs then took a that are now transitive (aider a qqn), and many circumstantial complements built with à until the 17th century later took vers, chez, sur or avec.[2]

The preposition could be written together with the following word (afforfait, assavoir) until the 16th century.[2]

Timeline

  • 842 – Ab (from apud) appears in the Strasbourg Oaths.[2]
  • 881 – Ad with the sense “with” in the Sequence of Saint Eulalia.[2][7]
  • mid-11th century – A and ad of direction; the contraction al.[2]
  • 13th century – Au and aux prevail over a le, a les.[2]
  • 1533 – The grave accent is introduced.[2]
  • 1606 – The accented spelling is general in dictionaries.[2]

Meanings

Preposition

  1. to: marks the place one goes to: aller à Paris.[9][1]
  2. At, in: marks the place where one is: être à la maison.[1][10]
  3. At: marks a point in time: à midi.[1]
  4. Introduces the indirect object of verbs, nouns and adjectives: nuire à sa santé, fidèle à sa parole.[9][10]
  5. Of, belonging to: ce livre est à moi.[1][3]
  6. By, with: marks the means or manner: à pied, à la main.[1][10]
  7. Forms compound nouns stating what something is for or has: machine à laver, tasse à café.[1]
  8. Before an infinitive: to, for: une maison à vendre.[1][9]

Word family

  • au
  • aujourd'hui
  • aux
  • jusqu'à
  • Latin ad

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  3. ^ a b c d Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
  5. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 24, 129b
  6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 24, 1a
  7. ^ a b c d Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  8. ^ Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  9. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  10. ^ a b c Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)