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autour

Etymology and origin of the French word autour

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French has two words spelled autour: the adverb autour “around”, formed from au and tour, and the noun autour “goshawk”, inherited from Latin.[1][2][3]

autour1 around

Confidence
Established
Formation
Compound
First attested
c. 1200 (adverb); late 14th century (autour de)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /o.tuʁ/[3]

Forms

autour[3]

Etymology

The adverb is formed from au and tour “circuit, turn”, and replaced Old French entor (see entour, alentour).[1][2][4][3][5] “Tour” in this sense is formed on tourner, from Latin tornō (“to turn on a lathe”).[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Grand Robert dates the adverb to about 1200 and the preposition autour de to the end of the 14th century, Bloch and Wartburg give 1375 for the adverb.[1][6]

Semantic evolution

Littré gives autour de the senses “round” (tourner autour de la montagne), “near, about a person” and “approximately”.[7] Figurative uses include tourner autour du pot “to beat about the bush” and autour de lui “among the people around him”.[2]

Timeline

  • c. 1200 – The adverb.[1]
  • 1375 – Bloch and Wartburg's date for the adverb.[6]
  • Late 14th century – Autour de.[1]

Meanings

Adverb

  1. around, round about: tout autour.[4][3]

Preposition

  1. Autour de: around, round: autour de la table.[2][4]
  2. Autour de: among the people near: autour de moi.[7][2]
  3. Autour de: about, approximately: autour de cent euros.[7]

autour2 goshawk

Confidence
Established
Formation
Inherited
First attested
c. 1100, Chanson de Roland (ostur)
Inherited from
Latin auceptor via Old French
Ultimate origin
Latin (accipiter)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /o.tuʁ/[3]

Forms

autour m (plural autours)[3] Old French ostur, hostur (1080), ostoir, authoure (1398), autour from the 15th century.[1][6][4]

Etymology

The goshawk is inherited from Old French ostur, inherited from Late Latin auceptor, an altered form of acceptor, itself from classical Latin accipiter (“hawk”).[6][1][3][8] According to Bloch and Wartburg, “acceptor” was remade after derivatives of capiō (“to take”) and then attracted by aucepitor (“bird-catcher”) (classical auceps), a fitting name for a bird of prey.[6] The ending “-our” is irregular, “-eur” being expected: it may be due to vautour or to the written language.[6] Littré preferred a Latin “*asturius”, from Asturias.[7]

Cognate with Italian astore, Old Occitan austor, Spanish azor and Portuguese açor.[6][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found as ostur in the Chanson de Roland (about 1100).[4][1]

Semantic evolution

Bloch and Wartburg note that the word was little used after the 15th century and is now mostly literary; falconry distinguished birds taken in the nest, on the branch or in the net.[6][9]

Timeline

  • c. 1100 – Ostur in the Chanson de Roland.[4]
  • 1398 – Authoure.[1]
  • 15th century – The form autour.[1]

Meanings

Noun

  1. The goshawk, a bird of prey close to the sparrowhawk, used in falconry.[2][9]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  2. ^ a b c d e f Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  4. ^ a b c d e f 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. 13/2, 54a
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  7. ^ a b c d e Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  8. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 24, 72a
  9. ^ a b 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

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Autour.” Etymologically, 18 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/autour. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

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