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appareiller

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Etymology and origin of the French word appareiller

appareiller1 to equip; to set sail

Confidence
Probable
Formation
Inherited
First attested
1080 Chanson de Roland
Inherited from
Latin *appariculo via Old French
Ultimate origin
Latin parō

Pronunciation

  • /a.pa.ʁɛ.je/[1]
  • /a.pa.ʁe.je/[1]

Forms

appareiller[1]

Etymology

The verb meaning “to prepare, equip, set sail” is inherited from Old French apareillier, inherited from Vulgar Latin *appariculō (“to make ready”), from Latin apparō (“to prepare”), from parō (“to prepare”).[2][3][4][5][1] Wiktionary gives the Vulgar Latin verb as a syncopated *appariclō.[1] Rey calls the French verb a very early adapted borrowing of the Late Latin verb.[6]

Cognate with Italian apparecchiare, Occitan aparelhar, Spanish aparejar and Portuguese aparelhar.[5][7] Littré derived it instead from à and pareil.[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found in 1080, in the Chanson de Roland, meaning “to prepare, make ready”:[2][4][6] Et de bataille sont tuit apareillez “and they are all ready for battle”.[7]

Semantic evolution

From the 11th to the 16th century the verb meant “to prepare” in general, and it was used in particular of food, of fishing nets and of the rigging of a ship.[6] This sense survives in regional use, as in Canada, and in techniques such as stone-cutting, surgery and hearing aids.[6][4]

From 1544 (Jacques Cartier) it was used intransitively of a ship, “to get ready to leave”, then “to weigh anchor, leave port”.[6][4] Sailors' slang took it in 1840 for “to leave, go away”.[6]

The deverbal noun appareil (late 12th century) first meant “preparation”, and appareillage has followed the senses of the verb since 1371.[6]

Timeline

  • 1080 – Used for “to make ready” in the Chanson de Roland.[2][4][6]
  • 12th century – Used of rigging a ship.[6]
  • 1371 – The derivative appareillage “preparation” is recorded.[6]
  • 1544 – Jacques Cartier uses it intransitively for a ship leaving its anchorage.[4][6]
  • 1611 – The derivative appareilleur is recorded.[6]
  • 1840 – Sailors' slang uses it for “to leave”.[6]

Meanings

Verb

  1. (transitive, archaic) To prepare.[3][1]
  2. (transitive, fishing) Appareiller un filet: to set a net ready for fishing.[3][4]
  3. (transitive, nautical) To rig and fit out a ship for sailing.[3][4]
  4. (transitive, architecture) To cut and lay out stones for building.[3][4][8]
  5. (transitive, medicine) To fit a person or a limb with a prosthesis.[3][4][1]
  6. (intransitive, nautical) To cast off, leave the anchorage or the port: le cargo appareille à l'aube.[3][4][1]
  7. (intransitive, slang) To leave, go away.[6]

Word family

appareiller2 to pair, match

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1130–1140
Ultimate origin
Latin pār
Etymology tree of appareiller2
inherited borrowed derived
French pareil
French appareiller

Pronunciation

  • /a.pa.ʁɛ.je/[1]
  • /a.pa.ʁe.je/[1]

Forms

appareiller[1]

Etymology

The verb meaning “to pair, match” is formed from French a- + pareil.[2][3][6][9][10] pareil continues Late Latin pariculus, recorded once in the Salic law, an enlarged form of Latin pār (“equal”).[6][9]

Earliest recorded meaning

Rey dates it to 1130–1140, written apareiller, meaning “to join a man and a woman”.[6] The GLLF and Bloch and Wartburg find it in Chrétien de Troyes (1175).[4][9]

Semantic evolution

The sense “to unite a man and a woman” was lost after the end of the 13th century, but returned in s'appareiller “to mate”, of birds (1680).[6] The sense “to join to its like” is found first in the pronominal form (1204) and in transitive use from 1690.[6]

Its derivatives include appareilleuse “procuress” (1611), appareillement (1820), the hunting term appareillade (1863), for the pairing of partridges, and appareilleur (1955), a worker who pairs stockings.[6]

Timeline

  • 1130–1140 – Apareiller “to unite a man and a woman”.[6][2]
  • 1175 – Found in Chrétien de Troyes.[4]
  • 1204 – The pronominal form means “to join with one's like”.[6]
  • 1611 – Appareilleuse “procuress” is recorded.[6]
  • 1680 – S'appareiller is used of birds mating.[6]
  • 1690 – Transitive use “to match”, and rappareiller.[6][9]

Meanings

Verb

  1. (transitive) To match something with a like one, to put together two similar things: appareiller des chaussettes.[3][4][7]
  2. (transitive) To choose animals that will work together.[4][7]
  3. (transitive) To mate animals for breeding, (reflexive) of birds, to pair.[3][4][1]

Word family

  • appareillement
  • appareilleuse
  • appareillade
  • rappareiller

Usage notes

Littré treats both verbs under one headword, which he derives from à and pareil.[7] The opposite of the second verb is dépareiller.[3]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e 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 j k Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  5. ^ a b Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  7. ^ a b c d e f Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  8. ^ 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
  9. ^ a b c d Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  10. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 7, 650b

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Appareiller.” Etymologically, 14 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/appareiller. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

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