Etymologically
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absolument

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ap.sɔ.ly.mɑ̃/[1]

Forms

absolument[1]

Etymology

It is formed from French absolu + -ment, on the feminine “absolue”.[2][3][4][1][5] Littré remarks that the regular spelling would be “absoluement” or “absolûment”, but usage dropped every sign of the derivation.[5]

Compare Old Occitan absolutament and Italian assolutamente.[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

A Tournai charter of March 1225 uses absoluement for “entirely, completely”, of a property sold and given up outright.[2]

Semantic evolution

The sense “entirely” has stayed remarkably stable since the 13th century.[2] In the 16th century it came to mean “without limit or restriction” (Marnix), and it served as a synonym of souverainement “with absolute power” until the late 19th century, as in d'Aubigné's régner absolument.[2][5][4]

From the 17th century the dictionaries record its grammatical use, as Furetière (1690) does for a word used without a complement, and the philosophers of the 17th and 18th centuries opposed it to relativement.[2] Today it also serves on its own as an emphatic “yes”.[6]

Timeline

  • 1225 – Absoluement, Tournai.[2]
  • 14th century – Absolument considerées, Oresme.[5]
  • 16th century – “Without restriction”, Marnix.[2]
  • 1690 – Grammatical use, Furetière.[2]

Meanings

Adverb

  1. absolutely, without reservation; at all costs: il veut absolument vous voir, il faut absolument le prévenir.[6][1]
  2. Completely, totally: c'est absolument faux, absolument rien.[6][1]
  3. (as an answer) Absolutely, certainly, yes.[6]
  4. (grammar) Without the expected complement: verbe employé absolument.[6][2]
  5. (dated) With absolute power: régner absolument.[4][5]
  • absolu

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i 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. ^ a b c Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  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 Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert