advenir

Forms

advenir (defective)^[1] Old French avenir; the spelling with ⟨d⟩ appears in 1239.^[2][3] Avenir was still the form of the Civil Code of 1804.^[3][4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French avenir, inherited from Latin adveniō (“to come to, arrive”), from ad- and veniō (“to come”).^[3][4][5] The modern spelling is a refashioning after the written Latin form, first in spelling and then in pronunciation.^[6][3] The TLFi calls the spelling with ⟨d⟩ a learned doublet of the popular form and treats it as taken from Latin.^[2] The archaic aveindre “to reach” has the same origin.^[3][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Old French form is first found in the Valenciennes Fragment, from the first half of the 10th century, meaning “to happen, come about”.^[2]

Semantic evolution

The verb has meant “to happen, occur” from the first texts, and until the 17th century avenir also meant “to succeed in, attain” and “to approach”.^[3][6] Its modern use is mostly in set expressions such as advienne que pourra (1549), which continues Old French aviegne que “although”, and quoi qu'il advienne.^[3]

The two spellings competed in the dictionaries: the classical ones preferred ad-, but from the late 18th century to about 1850 avenir was recommended, as by Féraud in 1787; the Académie gave only advenir from 1878, and avenir disappeared in the 20th century.^[2][3]

Timeline

• 900–950 – Avient “happens” appears in the Valenciennes Fragment.^[2]
• 1239 – The spelling advenir is found in a charter of the Vosges archives.^[2][3]
• 1549 – Advienne que pourra is recorded.^[3]
• 1787 – Féraud says the word should be written and pronounced without ⟨d⟩.^[2]
• 1804 – The Civil Code uses avenir.^[3][4]
• 1878 – The Académie gives advenir as its only headword.^[2]

Meanings

Verb

1. (of an event) To happen, occur, come about.^[7][1]
2. (impersonal) Il advint que: it happened that, qu'est-il advenu de lui ? what has become of him?^[7][8]
3. Advienne que pourra: come what may.^[7][3]
4. (archaic, literary) Advenir à: to manage to, succeed in.^[7]

Related words

• avenir
• avènement
• aventure
• avenue
• avenant
• venir
• Latin adveniō

Usage notes

The verb is used only in the infinitive and the third person.^[7][8]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h 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 e f g h i j k l Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 24, 189a
6. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
7. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
8. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse