Etymologically
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accueillir

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /a.kœ.jiʁ/[1]

Forms

accueillir[1] Old French acueillir (1080), acoillir, acoildre (12th century).[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French acoillir, inherited from Vulgar Latin *accolligō (“to gather, receive”), a compound of ad- and colligō (“to gather”), which gave cueillir.[2][4][1] The change from the third to the fourth conjugation is very old;[4][3] Old French also had an infinitive acueudre that kept the Latin type.[4][3] Cognate with Catalan acollir, Italian accogliere, Occitan aculhir, Portuguese acolher and Spanish acoger.[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Chanson de Roland uses it for being seized: Les aquillit e tempeste e oret, “storm and wind seized them”.[3][2]

Semantic evolution

From 1080 to the 14th century Old French gave it many senses: “to gather”, “to join”, “to attack” and “to drive” (cattle), a sense the eastern dialects still have.[2][4] Phrases such as acoillir sa voie, “to set out on one's way”, kept the sense “to take”.[2][3] The modern sense, to receive someone well or badly, is a favourable narrowing of “to seize, take”; it appears with Chrétien de Troyes and becomes general in the 13th century.[2] The Grand Robert dates the sense “to receive, admit” to 1292 and its spread to the 17th century.[5] Middle French also used it intransitively for “to enter someone's service”.[2] Balzac uses it regionally for hiring a servant.[6]

Timeline

  • 1080 – Acueillir “to seize”, in the Chanson de Roland.[2][6]
  • 12th century – Acoillir sa voie “to set out”.[3]
  • 13th century – “To receive someone well or badly”.[2]
  • 1292 – “To receive, admit”.[5]
  • 14th–15th centuries – “To enter someone's service”.[2]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To welcome, receive someone in a certain way: accueillir un ami chaleureusement.[7][3]
  2. To meet someone on arrival: ils sont venus m'accueillir à la gare.[7][8]
  3. To give hospitality to; to admit into a group: pays qui accueille les immigrés.[7][6]
  4. (of a place) To hold, accommodate: le stade peut accueillir cent mille personnes.[7]
  5. To receive an idea or a proposal: le projet a été bien accueilli.[9][6]

Word family

  • accueil
  • accueillant

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 Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  4. ^ a b c d Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  5. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, 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 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)
  9. ^ Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)