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équipement

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Etymology and origin of the French word équipement

Confidence
Probable
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1671 Pomey More words from the 17th century
Ultimate origin
Old Norse skipa
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
French équiper
French équipement
English equipment
Romanian echipament
From the same root
French équipe ← équiper

Pronunciation

  • /e.kip.mɑ̃/[1]

Forms

équipement m (plural équipements)[1]

Etymology

It is formed from French équiper + -ment, first recorded in 1671.[2][3][1] Bloch and Wartburg take équiper, first meaning “to set sail”, from Old Norse skipa of the same sense.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Pomey records it in 1671 as a naval term: the fitting out of a ship, and the stores and gear put aboard it.[2][5][6]

Semantic evolution

From the navy the word passed to the army: in 1779 Beaumarchais used it for the objects needed to arm and maintain an army.[2][6] The Code civil of 1804 has it for what is needed to equip a person or animal for a given activity, and, from 1893 it was used of things as well.[2][6] In the 20th century it came to mean the plant and facilities of a place or a country, as in plan d'équipement and équipements collectifs.[6][7] The naval sense is now dated.[2]

Timeline

  • 1671 – Pomey records the naval sense.[2][5]
  • 1779 – Beaumarchais uses it for an army's equipment.[2][8]
  • 1804 – The Code civil uses it for what equips a person for an activity.[2]
  • 1893 – First used of things, in Moynet's book on stage machinery.[2]
  • 1978 – The derivative équipementier is recorded.[6]

Meanings

Noun

  1. The act of equipping someone or something.[7][8]
  2. The equipment or gear needed for an activity: l'équipement d'un alpiniste.[8][7][1]
  3. The articles a soldier or army needs for service, apart from clothing and weapons.[8][5]
  4. The facilities and installations of a place, a region or a country: les équipements collectifs.[7][6]
  5. (nautical, dated) The fitting out of a ship, and its gear and stores.[2][9]

Word family

  • suréquipement
  • équipementier

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j 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
  3. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  5. ^ a b c Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  6. ^ a b c d e f Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  7. ^ a b c d Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
  8. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  9. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
Cite this entry

“Équipement.” Etymologically, 14 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/%C3%A9quipement. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

Last edited on . ·