Etymologically
Log in

arriver

Etymology and origin of the French word arriver

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Inherited
First attested
mid-11th century, Vie de saint Alexis
Inherited from
Latin *arripo via Old French
Ultimate origin
Latin (rīpa)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /a.ʁi.ve/[1]

Forms

arriver[1] Old French ariver (mid-11th century).[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French ariver, inherited from Vulgar Latin *arripāre (“to reach the shore”),[3][4][2][5] from “ad-” and Latin rīpa (“bank, shore”) (see rive); the Petit Robert records “arripare” in 9th-century Latin.[6][7] Like “démarrer”, it is a seafaring word whose sense widened.[3]

Compare Old Occitan arribar, Catalan arribar and Spanish arribar; Italian arrivare was taken from French.[4][5][8]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Vie de saint Alexis (mid-11th century) has ariver in its original sense, “to land, come ashore”.[7][2][3]

Semantic evolution

The seafaring value lasted until the 15th century beside the general sense “to reach one's destination” (12th century: Quand arriva Richart de Vermandois), which spread so that from the 16th century the origin was no longer felt, even in arriver à bon port.[3][4][8] In sailing it has meant “to bear away, sail off the wind” since 1573 (arriver tout plat, 1771), a sense Spanish arribar had earlier (Columbus, 1493).[3]

Figurative uses include arriver à “to reach (a state); to manage to”, arriver à ses fins (late 17th century), the impersonal “to happen” and “to succeed in life”, whence arriviste (1893).[3][1][4] Arrivage dates from the 13th century and arrivée from 1527.[4]

Timeline

  • Mid-11th century – Ariver “to land”.[2]
  • 12th century – “To arrive”.[3]
  • 13th century – Arrivage.[4]
  • 1527 – Arrivée.[4]
  • 1573 – “To bear away” in sailing.[3]
  • Late 17th century – Arriver à ses fins.[3]
  • 1893 – Arriviste.[4]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To arrive: le train arrive à Lyon à midi, il vient d'arriver.[6][7]
  2. To come, approach: le train arrive, j'arrive !: coming![7][9]
  3. Arriver à: to reach; to manage to: je n'arrive pas à dormir.[1][6]
  4. To succeed (in life): vouloir arriver.[1][3]
  5. (impersonal) To happen: il est arrivé un accident, qu'est-ce qui t'arrive ?.[1]
  6. (nautical) To bear away.[3]

Word family

  • arrivant
  • arrivée
  • arrivage
  • arriviste
  • arrivée
  • arrivage
  • arrivant
  • arriviste
  • rive
  • rivage
  • dériver
  • Latin rīpa

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 j k l Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  5. ^ a b Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
  6. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  7. ^ a b c d Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  8. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  9. ^ Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Arriver.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/arriver. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·