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assister

Etymology and origin of the French word assister

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
1372, Jean Corbichon
Borrowed from
Latin assisto
Ultimate origin
Latin (stō)
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin assisto
French assister

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /a.sis.te/[1]

Forms

assister[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin assistō (“to stand by; to be present; to help”), a form of adsistō, from ad- and sistō (“to stand”), a reduplicated form of stō (“to stand”).[2][3][4][1][5] It was first used in the present participle (1372).[2][6] The Latin verb meant “to be beside” and “to be present”, then “to help”.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Jean Corbichon has it in 1372; in Middle French assister à quelqu'un meant both “to be present beside someone” and “to sit (in a council or assembly)” (1420).[4][2]

Semantic evolution

About 1500 the sense “to be present at (an event, a show)” took over: Montaigne has assister à un convoy, to attend a funeral procession.[2][7] The transitive use, which keeps the Latin sense of help rather than presence, is found in 1465 and 1501;[2][8] assister quelqu'un dans le besoin is in 1690.[2][8] Chastellain (15th century) uses it of a man comforted and attended by confessors; the GLLF still records its use for a priest attending the dying.[7][4]

The past participle assisté was applied to people receiving public relief (1866), and under English influence to power-assisted devices: direction assistée, conception assistée par ordinateur (about 1975).[2] In African French assister quelqu'un means to help someone materially or morally.[2]

Timeline

  • 1372 – Estre assistent, in Jean Corbichon.[2][6]
  • 1420 – “To sit in a council”.[2]
  • 1465 – Transitive use.[8][2]
  • c. 1500 – “To be present at (an event)”.[2]
  • 1580 – Assister quelqu'un de quelque chose.[2]
  • 1866 – Assisté, receiving public relief.[2]
  • c. 1975 – Assisté par ordinateur.[2]

Meanings

Verb

  1. Assister à: to attend, be present at: assister à une conférence, assister à un match.[8][9]
  2. Assister à: to witness: on assiste à une baisse des effectifs.[8][1]
  3. (transitive) To assist, help (someone) in their work: se faire assister par quelqu'un.[8][9]
  4. (transitive, law) To act for or with (a minor or an accused person).[8][4]
  5. (dated) To help, relieve: assister son prochain.[8][4]

Word family

  • assistance
  • assistant
  • assisté

References

  1. ^ a b c d 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 Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  3. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b c d e 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. 25, 562a
  6. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  7. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  9. ^ a b Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Assister.” Etymologically, 18 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/assister. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

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