Etymologically
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étude

Etymology and origin of the French word étude

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
first half of the 12th century, Oxford Psalter
Ultimate origin
Latin (studeō)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /e.tyd/[1]

Forms

étude f (plural études)[1] Old French estudie (about 1120), estuide (about 1150, by metathesis), estude (late 12th century); masculine or feminine until the 16th–17th centuries, étude from 1636.[2][3][4][5]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin studium (“zeal, eagerness; study”),[2][3][6][7] the form “estudie” coming from the plural “studia” taken as a feminine singular;[2][3] “estuide”, then “estude”, followed by metathesis.[2][6] “Studium” is from Latin studeō (“to be eager for, apply oneself”) (see studieux), which Rey links with words for a movement or blow such as “stupere” (see stupeur).[3][4]

The learned studio, through Italian, is of the same origin.[3] English etude (1837) is from French, popularised by Chopin's études.[8]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Oxford Psalter (first half of the 12th century) has estudie “application, care, zeal”;[2][3] in 1174 Guernes de Pont-Sainte-Maxence uses it for intellectual effort to learn.[2][3]

Semantic evolution

From the start it kept the Latin sense “care, zeal” (Marot's mit son estudie à reparer son païs), now only classical and literary.[3][9][5] The plural les études was the course of instruction from 1532.[3] In 1216 an estude was a study, a room for work (compare studio), whence in the 17th century a notary's or solicitor's office (1660) and practice (1690).[2][3]

Montaigne (1580) used it for an examination of something, and Poussin (1645) for a drawing made as an exercise.[2][3] It named a written study (Bernardin de Saint-Pierre's Études de la nature, 1784), a preliminary survey (1802, mettre à l'étude), and in music a piece for practice (Chopin, 1833).[2][3] The school étude is the room where pupils work outside class (Balzac, 1832) and the time spent there (1865).[3] The verb étudier dates from 1155.[3]

Timeline

  • c. 1120 – Estudie “zeal”, in the Oxford Psalter.[2]
  • 1155 – Estudier.[3]
  • 1174 – “Study, learning”.[2]
  • 1216 – A room for study.[2]
  • 1532 – Les études.[3]
  • 1580 – “Examination”, in Montaigne.[2]
  • 1645 – An artist's study, in Poussin.[2]
  • 1660 – A notary's office.[2]
  • 1833 – A musical étude, in Chopin.[2]
  • 1837 – English etude.[8]

Meanings

Noun

  1. Study, learning: l'étude des langues, aimer l'étude.[10][11]
  2. (plural) Studies, education: faire des études de droit.[10][1]
  3. A study, examination; a survey: étude de marché, à l'étude: under consideration.[11][1]
  4. A written study, monograph.[2][3]
  5. (art) A study, (music) an étude.[1][3]
  6. (school) Study period; study hall: salle d'étude.[1][3]
  7. (law) A notary's or solicitor's office, practice.[1][3]

Word family

  • étudier
  • étudiant

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g 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 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 d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  5. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  6. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  7. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 12, 312a
  8. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  9. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  10. ^ a b Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  11. ^ a b Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
Cite this entry

“Étude.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/%C3%A9tude. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

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