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après

Etymology and origin of the French word après

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Inherited
First attested
10th century, Vie de saint Léger
Inherited from
Latin ad pressum via Old French
Ultimate origin
Late Latin (ad pressum)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /a.pʁɛ/[1]
  • IPA: /a.pʁɛ.z‿/[1]

Forms

après[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French aprés, inherited from Late Latin ad pressum (“near, close by”), formed from ad (“to, at”) and “pressum”, the neuter of pressus (“pressed, close”), past participle of premō (“to press”), used as an adverb.[2][3][4][5] Bloch and Wartburg cite it from the “Mulomedicina”.[3] In Gaul it replaced classical Latin post (“after”), which survives in Italian poi, Spanish pues and Old Occitan pos.[2][3]

The original sense “near, pressed against” is kept by Old Occitan apres and Italian appresso.[2] In French the spatial sense was shared out between “après”, Old French empres and the later auprès, and the idea of nearness gave way to that of succession, under the influence of its opposite avant.[2] Wiktionary compares obsolete Spanish aprés.[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found as an adverb meaning “afterwards” in the 10th-century Vie de saint Léger.[6][2]

Semantic evolution

As a preposition it is recorded of time in 1130–1160 (apres ma mort “after my death”) and of following in space about 1100 (Baligant qui apres tei chevalchet “Baligant, who rides after you”); the sense “near” lasted only through the Middle Ages.[6][2] It took an infinitive about 1175 (après mangier), and the conjunction après que appears about 1200, with the indicative.[6][2] Courir après “to pursue” is figurative from the 15th century.[6] Ci-après “below (in a text)” dates from the late 14th century, après tout from 1641, après coup from the mid-17th century, and d'après “according to” has been common since the 17th century.[2][6]

The old spatial value survives in the popular use of après for à or sur (la clé est après la porte) and in être furieux après quelqu'un, both usual in Canada, where être après with an infinitive also means “to be in the course of”.[2][1] Par après “afterwards” is archaic in France but usual in Belgium and Quebec.[2] English borrowed the word as English après.[1]

Timeline

  • 10th century – Adverb apres “afterwards”, in the Vie de saint Léger.[6]
  • c. 1100 – Spatial preposition in the Chanson de Roland.[6]
  • 1130–1160 – Temporal preposition, apres ma mort.[6]
  • c. 1175 – With an infinitive, après mangier.[6]
  • c. 1200 – Après que.[6][2]
  • Late 14th century – Ci-après.[2]
  • 1641 – Après tout in Corneille's Cinna.[6]
  • 1690 – Après coup in Furetière.[6]

Meanings

Preposition

  1. After, later than: après les vacances, après avoir dîné.[7][4]
  2. After, beyond, in space or order: Le cinéma est après la mairie.[7][8]
  3. After, below in rank: Le capitaine vient après le commandant.[7]
  4. After, in pursuit of: courir après les honneurs.[7][1]
  5. (familiar) At, against: être furieux après quelqu'un.[2][7]
  6. D'après: according to; after (a model).[2]
  7. Après tout: all things considered.[6][2]

Adverb

  1. Afterwards, later: Je te le dirai après.[1][2]
  2. Et après ?: so what?[2][9]
  3. (Quebec) Être après with an infinitive: to be in the course of doing.[2][1]

Word family

  • après-midi
  • après-demain
  • après-guerre
  • ci-après

Usage notes

Après que takes the indicative, but the subjunctive, on the model of avant que, is now very frequent though criticized.[7][2]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i 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 r s Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  3. ^ a b c Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  4. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  5. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 24, 178b
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m 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
  7. ^ a b c d e f Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
  8. ^ Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  9. ^ Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Après.” Etymologically, 18 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/apr%C3%A8s. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

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