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acte

Etymology and origin of the French word acte

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
1338, cartulary of Saint-Pierre de Lille
Borrowed from
Latin actum
Ultimate origin
Latin (agō)

Pronunciation

Forms

acte m (plural actes)[1]

Etymology

It is a borrowing from Latin, with senses from two related nouns.[2][3] The legal sense (1338) is borrowed from Latin āctum (“deed; in the plural, records”), the past participle of agō (“to do, act”) used as a noun, usually in the plural, which in Medieval Latin came to mean a legal document, like the word for a charter (see charte).[4][5][2][6][7] The sense “deed, act” as opposed to word (1504) has the same origin.[2][8] The theatrical sense (16th century) is from āctus (“a doing; stage action; act of a play”).[2][3][9][1]

Rey explains that the Latin verb first meant “to drive before one”, as distinct from dūcō “to lead from the front”, words of a pastoral people; it corresponds to Ancient Greek ἄγω (ágō).[5] The verb agir was borrowed a century later.[5] Compare Italian atto and Spanish auto (“decree; religious play”).[10]

Earliest recorded meaning

The cartulary of Saint-Pierre de Lille (1338) has les lettres et actes produites en manieres de prueve, “the letters and records produced as proof”.[4]

Semantic evolution

The legal sense, a written document recording facts or an agreement, led to technical uses: a declaration before a court (1549), a decision of a public authority (1690), and actes of the English Parliament (1619), after English act.[5][2][4] Faire acte d'héritier is to act as heir.[3]

In Lemaire de Belges (1504) it is a deed as opposed to words, a manifestation of the will;[8][2][11] Montaigne speaks of actes hazardeux.[8][2][11] The theatre sense is in Montaigne's le dernier acte d'une comedie and dated 1553 by the Petit Robert; entracte dates from 1622.[11][3][2] In the 20th century l'acte is also the sexual act (Mauriac).[12]

Timeline

  • 1338 – A written legal record, Lille.[4]
  • 1504 – A deed, Lemaire de Belges.[8][2]
  • 1549 – A declaration before a court.[5]
  • 1553 – An act of a play.[3]
  • 1619 – Actes of the English Parliament.[2]
  • 1622 – entracte.[2]
  • 1690 – A decision of public authority.[5]

Meanings

Noun

  1. An act, a deed, an action: passer des paroles aux actes, acte de bonne volonté.[8][1]
  2. (law) A legal act; a document recording a fact or agreement: acte de vente, actes de l'état civil, birth, marriage and death certificates.[3]
  3. Faire acte de: to act as: faire acte d'héritier, de propriétaire.[3]
  4. An act of a play: les tragédies classiques comportent cinq actes; figuratively, a phase of an affair.[3]

Word family

  • entracte

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 Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b c d 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
  5. ^ a b c d e f Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  6. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  7. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 24, 113b
  8. ^ a b c d e Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  9. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 1, 24a
  10. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
  11. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  12. ^ Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Acte.” Etymologically, 18 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/acte. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

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