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amener

Etymology and origin of the French word amener

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
c. 1100, Chanson de Roland
Ultimate origin
Latin (minor)
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
French mener
French emmener
French amener
French ramener

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /am.ne/[1]
  • IPA: /a.mə.ne/[1]

Forms

amener[1]

Etymology

It is formed from French a- + mener, already in Old French amener.[2][3][1][4] The Grand Robert finds “amenar” in the 10th century.[2] Mener is from Vulgar Latin minō (“to drive (animals) with shouts”), from minor (“to threaten”).[5][1]

Cognate with Old Occitan amenar.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is in the Laws of William and the Chanson de Roland (about 1100): Marsile has ten white mules brought, Diz blanches mules fist amener Marsiles.[3][6]

Semantic evolution

From bringing a person or animal somewhere, it came to mean bringing a thing (amener les eaux) and, figuratively, leading someone to an opinion or an action (amener quelqu'un à).[3][6] With a thing as subject it means to cause: quel bon vent vous amène?.[6][7] In law a mandat d'amener is an order to bring someone before a judge.[6][3] The Petit Robert notes that, unlike emmener, amener implies that the companion leaves the person on arrival.[7]

Timeline

  • 10th century – Amenar.[2]
  • c. 1100 – Amener in the Chanson de Roland.[3][6]
  • 1723 – Regional terre amenée, well-tilled land.[8]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To bring (a person or animal) to someone or somewhere: amener ses enfants à l'école.[7][1]
  2. (familiar) To bring along (a thing).[6][9]
  3. To bring about, cause: la guerre amène la misère, quel bon vent vous amène?.[6][7]
  4. Amener quelqu'un à: to lead someone to (a view, an action).[3][7]
  5. (fishing) To reel in (a fish); to haul in (a net).[1][7]
  6. (law) Mandat d'amener: a warrant to bring someone before a judge.[6][3]

Usage notes

The nautical amener “to lower (sails, a flag)”, as in amener les couleurs, is a separate word (1515), from Neapolitan ammainare, from Vulgar Latin *invāgīnō, from Latin vāgīna (“sheath”).[7][10]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c 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 Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  4. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 6/2, 106b
  5. ^ Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  8. ^ Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF
  9. ^ 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
  10. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter

Derived terms

Cite this entry

“Amener.” Etymologically, 18 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/amener. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

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