affiliation

Forms

affiliation f (plural affiliations)^[1] Furetière's dictionary spells it afiliation in 1701.^[2]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Late Latin affiliatio (“adoption”), a legal term of Late Latin.^[2][3] The Grand Robert and the Petit Robert call the Latin word Medieval Latin, and trace it to Latin filius (“son”).^[4][5] Picoche places it in the family of fils, beside affilier, from affiliō (“to take as a son or follower”).^[6] Littré treats the noun as a derivative of that verb and compares Old Occitan afilhamen.^[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found in the 14th century in the Arbre des batailles, meaning the adoption of a person, in a passage on Queen Joan of Naples.^[2][8]

Semantic evolution

The legal sense “adoption” is the first one, and the Robert dictionaries date it to 1560.^[2][4][8] In 1701 Furetière defines it as the sharing by a religious order of all that it holds most holy with one of its houses,^[2] and in 1762 the Académie applies it to a community that has taken in others.^[2][5]

From there it came to mean the act of attaching a person to a body as a member: in 1834 Boiste describes it as a kind of adoption of an individual by a secret society.^[2] Rey notes that the noun followed the same path as the verb affilier, which spread during the Revolution.^[8] In modern French it is the act of joining a club, party or federation, or the fact of belonging to one,^[5][9] and in administration the registration of a person with a social security fund or pension scheme.^[10][3] English affiliation was taken from the French word in 1751, also first meaning “adoption”.^[11]

Timeline

• 14th century – First recorded in the Arbre des batailles in the sense “adoption”.^[2]
• 1560 – The Robert dictionaries date the sense “adoption” to this year.^[4][5]
• 1701 – Furetière records the religious sense.^[2]
• 1751 – English borrows affiliation from French.^[11]
• 1762 – The Académie records the use for a community that has affiliated others.^[2][4]
• 1834 – Boiste records it for admission to a secret society.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. The act of joining or being affiliated to a group, club, party or federation, the fact of membership.^[5][9][10]
2. (administration) The registration of a person with a body such as a social security fund or a pension scheme.^[10][3]
3. (dated) A society recruited in this way.^[12]
4. (religion, archaic) The admission of a person or house to a religious order and its spiritual benefits.^[2][7]

Related words

• affilier
• filiation
• fils
• Latin filius

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l 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 Académie française (1992–2024), Dictionnaire de l'Académie française, 9th ed., Paris: Académie française / Fayard / Imprimerie nationale
4. ^ a b c d Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ Picoche, Jacqueline (1991), Dictionnaire étymologique du français, Paris: Le Robert (Les Usuels du Robert)
7. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
8. ^ a b c Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
9. ^ a b Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)
10. ^ a b c Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
11. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
12. ^ Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse