Etymologically
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aide

Etymology and origin of the French word aide

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Back-formation
First attested
842, Strasbourg Oaths (aiudha)
Ultimate origin
Latin (iuvō)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ɛd/[1]
  • IPA (Quebec): /aɛd/[1]

Forms

aide f (plural aides)[1] Aiudha in the Strasbourg Oaths (842); Old French aiude, aïe, aïde, aide from 1268.[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is a deverbal noun from aider.[2][3][5][1] Wiktionary notes that the medial /d/ would regularly have been lost, as in Old French “aïe”, and was restored from the verb.[1] “Aider” is from Latin adiūtō (“to help”), a frequentative of adiuvō (“to help”), from ad- and iuvō (“to help, please”).[4]

Compare Spanish ayuda and Italian aita.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Strasbourg Oaths (842) have in adiudha, in the sense of help, assistance; the Chanson de Roland has besoin avons d'aïe “we need help”.[2][4][3]

Semantic evolution

In the Middle Ages aide also meant feudal aid and, in the plural, the taxes levied by the king (les aides); the AND records the same senses in Anglo-Norman.[6][4] Dieu vous soit en aide was said in the 17th and 18th centuries when someone sneezed.[3][4] The noun for a person who helps, an assistant, is feminine in the 13th century and masculine and feminine from the 16th.[2][5] In modern use aide is also financial or social assistance (aide sociale, 1953, aide au développement) and, in computing, the help pages of a program.[5][7]

Timeline

  • 842 – Aiudha, Strasbourg Oaths.[2]
  • c. 1100 – Aïe, Chanson de Roland.[4]
  • 1268 – The form aide.[2]
  • 13th century – A person who helps (feminine).[2]
  • 16th century – An assistant (masculine and feminine).[2][5]
  • 1953 – Aide sociale.[5]

Meanings

Noun

  1. help, aid, assistance: j'ai besoin de votre aide, à l'aide!, help!, venir en aide à.[5][1]
  2. À l'aide de: with the help of, using: à l'aide d'un couteau.[5][7]
  3. Financial or social aid: aide sociale, aide humanitaire.[5][7]
  4. An assistant, helper: aide de camp, aide-soignant, aide-ménagère.[5][7]
  5. (sport) An assist.[1]
  6. (historical, in the plural) Royal taxes, especially on drink.[4]

Word family

  • aide-mémoire
  • aide-soignant
  • aide-ménagère
  • entraide

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  3. ^ a b c d Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  6. ^ Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)
  7. ^ a b c d Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
Cite this entry

“Aide.” Etymologically, 18 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/aide. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·