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allégeance

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Etymology and origin of the French word allégeance

Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
1651 More words from the 17th century
Borrowed from
English allegiance
Ultimate origin
Old French liejance
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
English allegiance
French allégeance

Pronunciation

  • /a.le.ʒɑ̃s/[1]

Forms

allégeance f (plural allégeances)[1] Earlier spellings alligeance (1651) and allegeance (1669); allégeance from 1704.[2][3]

Etymology

It is borrowed from English allegiance, a term of feudal law.[3][4][2][5] The English word, first as Middle English alligeaunce in the late 14th century, was formed from Anglo-Norman legaunce “loyalty of a liegeman to his lord”, from Old French legeance, from lige (“liege”);[6] the French dictionaries name the Old French liejance, lijance “condition of a liege man or of land held in liege”, derived from lige.[3][2][5][4] The English initial ⟨al-⟩ comes from confusion with the legal term allegeance (“alleviation”), itself from the French homonym meaning “relief”.[3][6]

The DHLF dates the first French form, ⟨alligeance⟩, to 1661, Bloch and Wartburg and the Grand Robert to 1651, and the GLLF has 1668, in Chamberlayne.[4][3][2][7] The DHLF suggests that the spelling with ⟨é⟩ (1704) owes its form to the older French homonym.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

It was first a term of feudal law, used by historians: the fealty and vassalage of a liegeman to his lord.[4][3][8]

Semantic evolution

In the 20th century the meaning widened to the obligation of loyalty owed to a nation and, more abstractly, to submission, as in faire allégeance à “to pledge allegiance to”.[4][5] In law it can mean the obligation of a subject to a state, and so nationality: the Petit Robert has double allégeance.[8][7][5]

Timeline

  • 1651 – First record, as alligeance.[3][2]
  • 1668 – Chamberlayne uses it, according to the GLLF.[7]
  • 1669 – The spelling allegeance appears.[3][2]
  • 1704 – The spelling allégeance.[2][4][8]
  • 20th century – Extended to loyalty to a nation and to submission in general.[4]

Meanings

Noun

  1. (history) The fealty and vassalage of a liegeman to his lord: serment d'allégeance, faire acte d'allégeance.[8][5]
  2. (law) The obligation of loyalty and obedience to a nation or state; nationality: double allégeance.[8][5][7]
  3. Loyalty and submission;[8][5][9] faire allégeance à, to rally to a leader or party and recognise its authority: Les officiers ont fait allégeance au nouveau gouvernement.[8][5][9]

Usage notes

It is the Grand Robert's allégeance 2;[2][10][8] allégeance 1, derived from alléger, is an archaic word meaning “relief, alleviation, consolation”, found as alejance in Benoît de Sainte-Maure's Roman de Troie about 1165 and called old-fashioned by the Académie from 1798.[2][10][8] In sailing, the Académie and Larousse use allégeance, under the word from alléger, for the time allowance given by one boat to another of a different class in a race.[5][11]

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i Académie française (1992–2024), Dictionnaire de l'Académie française, 9th ed., Paris: Académie française / Fayard / Imprimerie nationale
  6. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  7. ^ a b c d Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  8. ^ 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
  9. ^ a b Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)
  10. ^ a b 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
  11. ^ Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Allégeance.” Etymologically, 15 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/all%C3%A9geance. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

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