Etymologically
Log in

aller

This is an old revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 18 October 2026 at 04:13. It may differ significantly from the current version. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Current version Changes in this edit History

Pronunciation

Forms

aller[1] Romance alāre (8th century, Reichenau Glosses), Old French aler (11th century).[2][3][4] Old French also had a form aner.[5]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French aler, inherited from Medieval Latin alāre, of uncertain origin.[2][1][6] The verb, one of the most irregular in French, merges three Latin verbs of motion.[3] The future and conditional (j'irai) come from eō (“to go”), and the forms “vais”, “vas”, “va”, “vont” from vādō (“to go, walk rapidly”).[3][7][2]

The infinitive and the forms “allons”, “allez” are less clear.[3] Most scholars derive them from ambulō (“to walk about, stroll”), which in familiar Latin (already in Cicero's letters) competed with “īre” and “vādere”, through an irregular reduction, perhaps in military commands (“*allate!” for “ambulate!” “march!”).[7][3][4] Corominas instead explains the reduction by a careless pronunciation “*amlare”, which would also account for the other Romance forms.[4] Pierre Guiraud proposed a derivative of āla (“wing”), “to fly, to hurry”, but this is not supported.[2][3] Littré, following Diez, set the Old French form “aner” beside Italian andare, Spanish andar and Occitan anar.[5]

In Gallo-Romance “aller” is the form of the northern dialects and of Franco-Provençal, while the south has Old Occitan anar.[7] Spanish andar and Italian andare probably come from Vulgar Latin *ambitāre, from ambiō (“to go round”).[7][8]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Reichenau Glosses (8th century) have alare four times as the equivalent of Latin ambulare, “to go”.[7][4][2]

Semantic evolution

Already in the 6th century, writers of Gaul such as Avitus and Gregory of Tours used ambulare in the general sense “to go”.[7] The verb became an auxiliary of the near future (je vais partir) and is used of health and of how things are going (ça va).[1][8] The infinitive was used as a noun about 1190, aler, and aller “the outward journey” (opposed to retour) dates from the 12th century, un aller simple is a one-way ticket.[2][8]

Derivatives include allée and allure (12th century), and va-et-vient (1765) and va-tout (17th century) are built on va.[7]

Timeline

  • 6th century – Ambulare means “to go” in Avitus and Gregory of Tours.[7]
  • 8th century – Alare in the Reichenau Glosses.[2][4]
  • 11th century – Old French aler.[2]
  • c. 1190 – Aler used as a noun.[2]
  • 12th century – Allée and allure.[7]
  • 1765 – Va-et-vient.[7]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To go, to move towards a place: aller à Paris.[1][4]
  2. To go to (school, church) regularly, to attend.[1]
  3. With an infinitive: to be going to; forms the near future: il va pleuvoir.[1][8]
  4. To be (in health, in a situation): comment allez-vous ?, ça va.[1]
  5. To suit, to fit: cette robe lui va bien; to go with: aller avec.[1]
  6. To lead, to reach: cette route va à Lyon.[4]
  7. S'en aller: to leave; to disappear.[1]

Noun

  1. The outward journey, as opposed to the return; a one-way ticket: un aller simple, un aller-retour.[8]
  2. (sports) The first match between two teams: match aller.[8]

Word family

  • allée
  • allure
  • préalable
  • va-tout
  • va-et-vient

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j 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 Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  5. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 24, 414a
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  8. ^ a b c d e f Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert