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accordéon

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Etymology and origin of the French word accordéon

Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
1833 Chateaubriand, Mémoires d'outre-tombe More words from the 19th century
Borrowed from
German Akkordion
Ultimate origin
French accord

Pronunciation

  • /a.kɔʁ.de.ɔ̃/[1]

Forms

accordéon m (plural accordéons)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from German Akkordion, the name Damian, the instrument's inventor, gave it in Vienna in 1829.[2][3][4][5] Damian formed it from Akkord (“chord”), itself from French accord, with the suffix ⟨-ion⟩ of Orchestrion, an instrument invented in 1791.[2][6] In French the ending ⟨-ion⟩ became ⟨-éon⟩ after orphéon, the name of a kind of large hurdy-gurdy (1767).[2][3][4][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

Chateaubriand's Mémoires d'outre-tombe (written between 1833 and 1848) mention that the postmaster of Schlau had just invented the accordion and sold him one.[2][6]

Semantic evolution

The word has named the same instrument from the start: a free-reed instrument with bellows, played with keys or buttons, which became very popular in many countries.[5] In France it was the heart of dance music, above all musette, in the first half of the 20th century.[5]

The shape of the bellows gave several figurative uses: en accordéon, of things that form folds, plissé accordéon in dressmaking (about 1920), and circulation en accordéon for traffic that alternately flows and jams.[5][7][8]

Timeline

  • 1829 – Damian names his instrument Akkordion in Vienna.[2][3]
  • 1833 – Chateaubriand uses accordéon in the Mémoires d'outre-tombe.[3][6]
  • 1842 – The Complément of the Académie dictionary defines it.[2]
  • 1866 – Pierre Larousse records accordéoniste.[5]
  • c. 1920 – Plissé accordéon is used in fashion.[8]

Meanings

Noun

  1. (music) An accordion, a portable instrument with bellows and metal reeds: accordéon à boutons, accordéon chromatique.[7][2][9]
  2. En accordéon: forming parallel folds, as des bas en accordéon.[7][6]
  3. (sewing) As an adjective: plissé accordéon, pleated like bellows.[7][8]
  4. Circulation en accordéon: traffic that is alternately fluid and dense.[7][5]

Word family

  • accordéoniste

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g 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 Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  4. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  5. ^ a b c d e f Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  6. ^ a b c d 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. ^ a b c Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF
  9. ^ Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Accordéon.” Etymologically, 15 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/accord%C3%A9on. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

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