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éternel

Etymology and origin of the French word éternel

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
c. 1175, Benoît de Sainte-Maure
Borrowed from
Latin aeternalis
Ultimate origin
Latin (aevum)
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin aeternalis
French éternel

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /e.tɛʁ.nɛl/[1]

Forms

éternel (feminine éternelle, masculine plural éternels, feminine plural éternelles)[1] First written eternal (about 1175); éternel from the 13th century.[2][3]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Late Latin aeternālis (“outside time, without beginning or end”), a Christian derivative of classical aeternus.[4][2][1] That adjective comes from the archaic aeviternus (“lasting a lifetime”), formed on aevum (“time, duration”).[2][3] Cognate with Occitan eternal, Spanish eternal and Italian eternale.[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Benoît de Sainte-Maure writes gloire eternal in the Chronique des ducs de Normandie (about 1175), and elsewhere contrasts mortal man with veirs Deus eternaus, true eternal God.[4][5]

Semantic evolution

The word kept its Latin sense in religion and philosophy, for what has neither beginning nor end, and by extension for what belongs to God.[2][6] Le Père éternel is recorded about 1460 and l'Éternel for God about 1530; the familiar un grand voyageur devant l'Éternel comes from the biblical Nimrod, “a mighty hunter before the Lord”.[2][7] About 1550 it was weakened to “endless, lasting a very long time”: Du Bellay, before 1559, writes of ces monts couverts d'une neige eternelle.[2][6][5] Racine in 1669 uses it, by exaggeration, of a person who never seems to stop;[6] Furetière in 1690 has it for what keeps recurring, and Lesage in 1707, with a possessive, for someone or something always associated with a person.[6] L'éternel féminin and un éternel mécontent are among the modern uses.[7] La Ville éternelle is Rome.[5]

Timeline

  • c. 1175 – Eternal in Benoît de Sainte-Maure.[4]
  • 13th century – The form éternel.[2]
  • c. 1460 – Père Éternel.[2]
  • c. 1530 – L'Éternel, God.[2]
  • c. 1550 – The weakened sense “endless”.[2]
  • 1694 – Recorded by the Académie.[4]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Outside time, without beginning or end: Dieu est éternel, le Père éternel.[7][6]
  2. Having a beginning but no end: le bonheur éternel du paradis.[6][5]
  3. Lasting a very long time; everlasting, unchanging: neiges éternelles, la Ville éternelle.[6][5]
  4. (before the noun) Constantly recurring, perpetual: un éternel mécontent, c'est l'éternel problème.[7][6]

Noun

  1. L'Éternel: God, un grand chasseur devant l'Éternel, a great hunter, said with emphasis.[7][8]
  2. L'éternel: what has eternal value.[7]

Word family

  • éternellement
  • éterniser
  • éternité

References

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

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Éternel.” Etymologically, 18 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/%C3%A9ternel. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

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