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équiper

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Etymology and origin of the French word équiper

Confidence
Probable
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
c. 1120 Saint Brendan More words from the 12th century
Borrowed from
Old Norse skipa via Old French
Ultimate origin
Old Norse skip
Derivations

Pronunciation

Forms

équiper[1] Old French eschiper and esquiper; the spelling équiper is recorded from 1636.[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French eschiper, borrowed from Old Norse skipa (“to arrange, fit out”), a verb formed from skip (“ship”).[4][5][6][7] The FEW and the TLFi take the earliest sense, “to come ashore, to put to sea”, from Old English scipian (“to sail, to embark”) instead, and only “to fit out a ship” from the Norse verb;[2][8][6] de Vries assumes that the Norse verb could also mean “to sail”, which would make the Old English source unnecessary.[2] Bloch and Wartburg likewise separate an Old French verb meaning “to set sail” from Old English and the modern verb from Old Norse, and explain the double spelling with ⟨ch⟩ and ⟨qu⟩ as hesitation in rendering Norse /sk/, as in Old French eschipre “sailor”, from skipari.[9] Wiktionary traces both Germanic verbs to Proto-Germanic *skipōną, from *skipą (“ship”).[1]

The Norse noun is related to German Schiff and English ship.[6] Spanish esquipar “to equip” comes from French.[9]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record, about 1120 in the Saint Brendan, is a reflexive eschiper said of a boat coming to shore; in 1160 the Eneas has esquiper “to put to sea”.[2][6] Littré quotes a 12th-century line from a life of Thomas the Martyr, à Sandwiz eschipa “he embarked at Sandwich”.[10]

Semantic evolution

The senses “to come ashore” and “to put to sea” lasted until the 15th century.[6] The modern sense, “to provide a ship with what it needs to sail”, is already in Wace's Brut in 1155;[2][6] Bloch and Wartburg date it only to the 15th century.[9] From it came “to provide a person with what an activity requires”, found in Olivétan's Bible of 1535,[2][5] then the fitting out of a thing or place for a purpose (1606) and the reflexive s'équiper (1671).[6][5] The verb has also meant “to clothe”;[6] Littré records a familiar il a été bien équipé “he was given a rough time”.[10] In 20th-century mountaineering it came to mean fitting a climbing route with fixed aids.[11]

English equip was borrowed from French in the 1520s.[7]

Timeline

  • c. 1120 – Eschiper “to come ashore” is used in the Saint Brendan.[2][6]
  • 1155 – Wace's Brut has eschiper “to fit out a ship”.[2][6]
  • 1160 – Esquiper “to put to sea” appears in the Eneas.[2][6]
  • 1520s – English borrows it as equip.[7]
  • 1535 – Olivétan's Bible uses it of providing a person with what is needed.[2][5]
  • 1606 – Nicot records it of fitting out a thing for a purpose.[3][6]
  • 1636 – Monet spells it équiper.[3]
  • 1671 – S'équiper is recorded.[6][5]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To fit out (a ship) with crew, stores and gear.[5][2]
  2. To provide (a person, an army, a horse) with the equipment an activity requires: équiper une troupe.[5][2]
  3. To fit (a thing, a room, a region) with equipment: équiper un atelier.[5]
  4. (reflexive) S'équiper: to kit out oneself.[5]

Word family

  • déséquiper
  • équipage
  • équipe
  • équipée
  • équipement
  • équipeur
  • équipier
  • rééquiper
  • sous-équiper
  • suréquiper

References

  1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l 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. ^ a b c Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  4. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  7. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  8. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 17, 62–63
  9. ^ a b c Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  10. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  11. ^ Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF

Related etymologies

  • amer · also from Old Norse
  • flotte · also from Old Norse
  • crabe · also from Old Norse
  • débiter · also from Old Norse
  • guichet · also from Old Norse
  • but · also from Old Norse
  • vague · also from Old Norse
  • joli · also from Old Norse
Cite this entry

“Équiper.” Etymologically, 14 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/%C3%A9quiper. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

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