auditeur

Forms

auditeur m (plural auditeurs, feminine auditrice)^[1] Anglo-Norman auditur, auditour and auditor.^[2] Old French had an inherited form, oieor, as in Benoît's li oeor “the listeners” (12th century).^[3][4]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin audītor (“hearer”),^[5][6][7][1] the agent noun of audiō (“to hear”).^[7][8][1][9] Littré explains that the Latin word had given the inherited Old French forms oere (nominative) and oeor (oblique), built like ouïr, and that the French word was remade on the Latin by the lawyers of the 13th century.^[3]

The sense “person who audits accounts” (after 1950) is taken from the English auditor.^[5][6][10] The English word itself came from Anglo-Norman auditour and had meant an official who examines accounts since the early 14th century.^[4][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first recorded use (1230) is legal: the auditeurs du Châtelet, officers of the Paris court.^[7][5] From about 1262 it also means “person who listens”.^[7] In Beaumanoir (13th century) auditeurs are the officers appointed to hear witnesses in an inquiry.^[3]

Semantic evolution

From the 13th century the word has two lines of use, as its Latin source did: the general sense “listener” and administrative and legal titles.^[7] In the 14th century Oresme wrote that a young man is not a fit auditeur of politics, for a listener or pupil.^[3] Under the Ancien Régime there were auditeurs des Comptes; the modern auditeur au Conseil d'État or à la Cour des comptes (early 19th century), a junior official recruited by competitive examination, continues these titles.^[7][6] The Church used it for a catechumen allowed to hear the instruction but not yet baptized, and for a penitent not yet admitted to communion,^[3][11] and Rome has its auditeurs de Rote, judges of the Rota.^[11]

In the 20th century it was applied to radio listeners.^[7][6] Auditeur libre is a person allowed to attend university lectures without being enrolled.^[6][8] After 1950, under the influence of English auditor, it took the sense of a person who audits the accounts or management of a company, beside the anglicism audit.^[5][6][10]

Timeline

• 1230 – First record, of the auditeurs du Châtelet.^[7][5]
• c. 1262 – The general sense “listener” is recorded.^[7]
• 1267 – Anglo-Norman auditur is recorded.^[2]
• 14th century – Oresme uses it of a listener or pupil.^[3]
• early 19th century – Auditeur au Conseil d'État is used.^[7]
• 20th century – It is applied to radio listeners.^[7][6]
• after 1950 – The sense “auditor of accounts” is taken from English.^[5][6][10]

Meanings

Noun

1. A listener, a person who listens to a speech, a lecture or a concert: L'orateur a ému ses auditeurs.^[6][11][8]
2. A person who listens to the radio: les auditeurs d'une émission du matin.^[6][11]
3. Auditeur libre: a person admitted to attend university lectures without being enrolled.^[6][8]
4. Auditeur au Conseil d'État, auditeur à la Cour des comptes: a junior official recruited by competitive examination who begins a career there.^[6][8]
5. A person who carries out the audit of a company, an auditor.^[6][5][10]
6. (history, religion) In the early Church, a catechumen allowed to hear the teaching but not yet baptized, or a penitent not yet admitted to communion.^[11][3]

Word family

• auditorat

Related words

• audition
• auditoire
• audience
• audit
• ouïr
• Latin audītor
• English auditor

Usage notes

The Grand Robert has two headwords: auditeur 1, from Latin (1230), and auditeur 2, the anglicism “auditor of accounts” (after 1950); the entry treats the second as a sense of the first.^[5] The feminine is auditrice.^[6][1]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)
3. ^ a b c d e f g Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
4. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c d e f g h Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
8. ^ a b c d e Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
9. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 25, 864a
10. ^ a b c d Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF
11. ^ a b c d e 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