Etymologically
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apprendre

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /a.pʁɑ̃dʁ/[1]

Forms

apprendre[1] Old French aprendre, aprandre.[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French aprendre, inherited from Vulgar Latin *apprendō, a contracted form of classical apprehendō (“to seize; to grasp with the mind”), from ad- and prehendō (“to take, seize”) (see prendre).[2][3][4][5][1] In Late Latin, church writers used “apprehendere” for “to grasp with the mind”, hence “to learn for oneself” and then “to teach others”, both found very early in French, a development parallel to that of comprendre.[3][2] The learned appréhender is a doublet.[1][4]

Cognate with Italian apprendere, Old Occitan aprendre and Spanish aprender.[3][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found about 950, meaning “to acquire knowledge”.[4][2][7]

Semantic evolution

The sense “to give knowledge to others” is found about 1140, with apprendre à quelqu'un à (about 1190); apprendre meaning “to instruct (someone)” has died out but left bien appris and malappris.[2][3] Old French also kept the concrete “to seize” (about 1120) and “to set alight” (13th century).[2][3] With à (1080) it meant “to get into a habit, become able to”, and the absolute use, le désir d'apprendre, appears about 1175.[2]

“To be told, to hear of” is recorded at the end of the 12th century.[7] In the 17th century apprendre à quelqu'un took a threatening sense, as in je vais t'apprendre à mentir (Retz).[2]

Timeline

  • c. 950 – First record, “to acquire knowledge”.[4][2]
  • c. 1050 – In the Vie de saint Alexis.[8]
  • 1080 – Apprendre à “to get used to”.[2]
  • c. 1140 – “To teach”.[2]
  • c. 1175 – Aprentiz, later apprenti.[3]
  • Late 12th century – “To be told of”.[7]
  • c. 1230 – Malappris.[3]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To learn, acquire knowledge or skill: apprendre l'anglais, apprendre à lire.[8][1]
  2. To learn by experience: apprendre à connaître quelqu'un.[8]
  3. To hear of, be informed of: apprendre une nouvelle.[8][7]
  4. To teach: apprendre le piano à un enfant; to tell, inform: je vous apprends que….[1][2]
  5. (threatening) Je vais t'apprendre à…: I'll teach you to…[2]

Word family

  • apprenti
  • désapprendre
  • malappris
  • apprentissage

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ 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
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  4. ^ a b c d Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  5. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 25, 49a
  6. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  7. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  8. ^ a b c d Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse