ample

Forms

ample (plural amples)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French ample, inherited from Latin amplus (“large, spacious, then great, abundant”).^[1][2][3][4] The TLFi instead treats it as a borrowing from the Latin word, which it finds in its literal sense in Cicero and in its figurative sense in Caesar.^[5] Rey calls the Latin adjective of unknown origin;^[2] Littré had analysed it as a compound formed like duplus.^[6]

Cognate with Italian ampio, Spanish ancho (“wide”) and Old Occitan ample.^[3][6] English ample (mid-15th century) is from the Old French word.^[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

Its first record, about 1121 in the Voyage de saint Brendan, is figurative: Par sa vertud que mult ert ample “by his power, which was very great”.^[5] The literal sense “of great size” follows about 1148 in the Prise d'Orange, of a tower: la tor grant et ample.^[5]

Semantic evolution

The word had both its senses from the start, the concrete “wide, spreading” and the abstract “considerable”, used of a narrative or of power.^[2] In Old French it was also an adverb (1190) and a noun meaning “a wide expanse” (12th century), and par ample le pais (about 1190) meant “throughout the whole country”.^[2]

In the 17th century it took the sense “copious”, as in un ample repas (1690), a use that has since disappeared.^[2][6] The adjective has become rather literary, except of loose clothes and of the development of a speech or text;^[2] its derivatives amplement and ampleur now seem more common than ample itself.^[2]

Timeline

• c. 1121 – First recorded, figuratively, in the Voyage de saint Brendan.^[5][8]
• c. 1148 – The literal sense “of great size” appears in the Prise d'Orange.^[5]
• 1190 – The adverb amplement is recorded.^[2]
• Mid-15th century – English borrows the word as ample.^[7]
• 1640 – The noun ampleur is first found.^[2]
• 1690 – Un ample repas “a copious meal” is recorded.^[2]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Of clothing: loose, wide, not fitted.^[9][10][11]
2. Broad and full in extent: des gestes amples, une voix ample.^[9][10]
3. (figurative) Abundant, extensive, developed at length: de plus amples renseignements.^[9][11]
4. Jusqu'à plus ample informé: until further information is available.^[10][9][6]
5. Of a wine: full and rich in aroma and flavour.^[10]

Word family

• amplement
• ampleur

Related words

• Latin amplus
• English ample

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
4. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 24, 487a
5. ^ a b c d e 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
6. ^ a b c d Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
7. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
8. ^ Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)
9. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
10. ^ a b c d Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
11. ^ a b Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)