accès

Forms

accès m (invariable)^[1] Old French acès;^[2][3] Middle French also acceps and accez.^[4]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin accessus (“arrival, approach, entrance; attack of illness”),^[5][2][6] the noun of action of accēdō (“to approach, be added”), from ad (“to”) and cēdō (“to go”).^[2][4] The Latin word already had both the senses that French kept, “access” and “attack of an illness”.^[6][5][7] It belongs to the family of céder, accéder, abcès and décéder.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

According to Rey it is first recorded about 1170 as acès, meaning the shock of the waves, a sense that died out.^[2] The Roman de la Rose (1275–1280) has it for the means of reaching a place, and the Clefs d'Amours (about 1280) for access to a person.^[5]

Semantic evolution

From the late 13th century the word meant a way or possibility of reaching a place or a person;^[5][2][8] donner accès is recorded at the end of the 13th century, and a sense “means, opportunity” (1280) later disappeared.^[5][2][8] Because a fit comes on suddenly, the medical sense, already Latin, was taken over in 1341 for the onset of an illness; it replaced accession in that use.^[2][5] Corbichon writes of the accès of a tertian fever in 1372, and the sense widened to any sudden, passing feeling, as in accès de colère.^[5][9]

In the 20th century the abstract use spread (l'accès à la propriété, l'accès à la culture), and computing gave a technical sense, the retrieval of stored data (temps d'accès, fournisseur d'accès).^[2][9]

English access is recorded early in the 14th century as “an attack of fever”, from Old French.^[10]

Timeline

• c. 1170 – Acès “shock of the waves”.^[2]
• 1275–1280 – The Roman de la Rose uses it for access to a place.^[5]
• c. 1280 – The Clefs d'Amours uses it for access to a person.^[5]
• Early 14th century – English access “attack of fever” is recorded.^[10]
• 1341 – The Miracles de Nostre Dame use it in medicine, for a fit of illness.^[5][2]
• 1372 – Corbichon writes of the accès of a tertian fever.^[5][11]
• 20th century – Accès in computing, temps d'accès.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. Access, the possibility of reaching or entering a place; a way in: les accès d'une ville, as in L'accès au jardin est interdit le soir.^[9][4]
2. Avoir accès à: to be able to reach;^[9][11] donner accès à: to lead into, and figuratively to open the way to a position.^[9][11]
3. The possibility of approaching a person: être d'un accès facile, easy to approach.^[9][4]
4. (figurative) The possibility of taking part in or knowing something: l'accès à l'information.^[9][2]
5. (computing) The retrieval of stored data: temps d'accès, fournisseur d'accès.^[9][2]
6. (medicine) A fit or bout: the sudden onset or return of an illness: accès de fièvre, accès de toux.^[9][1]
7. A sudden, passing outburst of feeling: un accès de colère.^[9]

Related words

• accéder
• accessible
• accessoire
• accession
• Latin accessus
• English access

Usage notes

The word is the same in the singular and the plural.^[1] The final s is not sounded except in liaison.^[4]

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 k l m n Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ Tobler, Adolf; Lommatzsch, Erhard (1925–2002), Altfranzösisches Wörterbuch, 11 vols., Berlin / Wiesbaden / Stuttgart: Weidmann / Steiner
4. ^ a b c d e Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k 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
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. 24, 73a
8. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
10. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
11. ^ a b c Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse