Etymologically
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appliquer

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 17 October 2026 at 21:07. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /a.pli.ke/[1]

Forms

appliquer[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin applicō (“to bring into contact; to apply (one's mind)”),[2][3][1][4] from ad- and plicō (“to fold”).[2][5] The Latin verb had given the inherited Old French aploier (12th century) and Middle French “applier” (1357), both lost.[2][1] Bloch and Wartburg note that the sense development is French, the noun following the verb.[3]

Cognate with Old Occitan aplicar, Spanish aplicar and Italian applicare.[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first recorded as apliquier in 1280, in the sense “to put into effect”, and in medicine for applying a remedy in 1314.[2][6]

Semantic evolution

In 1303 it meant “to apply (a name, a saying) to someone”, and Oresme and Bersuire used it of applying a definition or one's customs to laws.[2][5] The reflexive s'appliquer “to apply oneself” is attested in 1403, and appliquer son esprit à in 1375.[2] The concrete “to place against, put on” (appliquer un cataplasme, appliquer des échelles) remains very much alive, as does appliquer une gifle (Molière, 1670).[2][7][6] In law appliquer une peine dates from 1791.[2]

Under English influence, appliquer means “to apply for (a post)” in Canada and Mauritius.[2] The derivative application (1314) has recently also named a computer program, appli.[2]

Timeline

  • 1280 – Apliquier “to put into effect”.[2]
  • 1303 – “To apply (a word) to someone”.[2]
  • 1314 – A medical term; the noun application.[6][2]
  • 1403 – S'appliquer.[2]
  • 1670 – Appliquer un soufflet in Molière.[7]
  • 1791 – Appliquer une peine.[2]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To apply, put on: appliquer une couche de peinture, appliquer son oreille contre la porte.[8][9]
  2. (familiar) To deal (a blow): appliquer une gifle.[8][10]
  3. To use, employ for a purpose: appliquer un traitement.[8][10]
  4. To put into practice, enforce: appliquer une loi.[10][2]
  5. (reflexive) S'appliquer: to apply oneself, take pains, s'appliquer à: to apply to, concern.[1][8]
  6. (Canada) To apply (for a job).[2]

Word family

  • applicable
  • inapplicable
  • applique
  • inapplication
  • application
  • appliqué
  • plier
  • impliquer
  • expliquer
  • English apply

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q 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. 25, 38a
  5. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  6. ^ a b c Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  7. ^ a b Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF
  8. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  9. ^ Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
  10. ^ a b c Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse