annoncer

Pronunciation

• IPA: /a.nɔ̃.se/^[1]

Forms

annoncer^[1] Old French anuncier (Chanson de Roland), anoncier, annoncer from 1546.^[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French anoncier, inherited from Latin adnūntiō (“to announce, report”), from ad- and nūntiō (“to announce”), from nūntius (“messenger; message”) (see nonce).^{[5][2][6][7][1]} Bloch and Wartburg note that its form does not show whether it is a fully popular word or one influenced by written Latin, and the Petit Robert calls it a borrowing.^[8][3] “Nuntius” is of obscure origin, sometimes linked with novus (“new”); its compounds gave dénoncer, énoncer, prononcer and renoncer.^[5]

Compare Romanian anunța, Italian annunciare, Catalan anunciar, Spanish anunciar and Portuguese anunciar.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

It appears about 980 in a religious context, annunciar las virtuz Crist “to proclaim the powers of Christ”, close to “to preach”, and also in the lay sense “to tell”; these senses lasted until at least the 16th century.^[5] The Chanson de Roland has Il lui ad anunciet.^[4][2]

Semantic evolution

From 1080 it was used of revealing an unknown or future fact, which became the main modern sense, often with the idea of publicity (Froissart, end of the 14th century).^[5] About 1650 annoncer qqn meant to make known a person's arrival, and, from the 17th century the subject could be a sign that foretells something.^[5] Card games gave a sense in 1866, whence annoncer la couleur “to make one's intentions clear” in the 20th century.^[5] S'annoncer “to show itself” is in Bossuet; in Swiss French it means to report somewhere or to sign up.^[5] English announce was borrowed in the 14th–15th century.^[3]

Timeline

• c. 980 – Annunciar, Passion.^[5]
• 1080 – Anunciet, Chanson de Roland.^[2]
• late 14th century – To make public, Froissart.^[5]
• 1546 – The spelling annoncer.^[3]
• c. 1650 – To announce a visitor.^[5]
• 1866 – A term of card games.^[5]

Meanings

Verb

1. To announce, make known: annoncer une nouvelle, les journaux ont annoncé son mariage.^[3][9]
2. To announce a visitor: veuillez m'annoncer, se faire annoncer.^[3]
3. To predict, foretell; to be a sign of: ces nuages annoncent la pluie.^[3][1]
4. To proclaim: annoncer l'Évangile.^[6]
5. (card games) To declare, annoncer la couleur, to make one's intentions clear.^[3][1]
6. S'annoncer: to look, promise to be: la soirée s'annonce bien.^[1][5]

Word family

• annonce
• annonceur
• annonciateur

Related words

• dénoncer
• nonce
• Annonciation
• énoncer
• prononcer
• renoncer

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d 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 i Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b 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 j k l Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
7. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 24, 619a
8. ^ Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
9. ^ Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)