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autre

Etymology and origin of the French word autre

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Inherited
First attested
late 10th century
Inherited from
Latin alter via Old French
Ultimate origin
Latin (alter)
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin alter
French autre

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /otʁ/[1]
  • IPA (Quebec): [ou̯tʁ][1]
  • IPA (Louisiana): [ɔt(ɾ)][1]

Forms

autre (plural autres)[1] Old French altre (late 10th century), feminine altra (about 1040); aultre in Middle French, pronounced outre according to Palsgrave.[2][1][3] The old oblique form was autrui.[4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French altre, inherited from Latin alterum (“the other (of two)”).[2][5][6][1] Late Latin gave up the classical distinction between alius (“another”) and “alter” “the other of two”, eliminating “alius”.[7] “Alter” is formed with the suffix “-tero-” (as in uter (“which of two”)) on the same stem “al-” as “alius” and aliēnus; this combination is Indo-European, as in Ancient Greek ἕτερος (héteros), Gothic 𐌰𐌽𐌸𐌰𐍂 (anþar) and Sanskrit अन्य (anyá), except for the “l”, which is Italic.[2][3] The Petit Robert compares Breton eil (“second”) and English else.[4]

Cognate with Romanian alt, Italian altro, Catalan altre, Spanish otro and Portuguese outro.[4][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

Altre is first a pronoun, at the end of the 10th century, meaning “the rest” and l'altre “the second, the next”; as an adjective, altra, altre are found about 1040 in the Vie de saint Alexis.[2][6]

Semantic evolution

As an adjective autre was used as an epithet and as an attribute (estre altre “to be different”) from about 1040.[2] Phrases followed: d'autre part (1080), autre chose (1220) and un autre soi-même (Oresme, 1370).[2] Les autres meant “one's neighbour, other people” from the end of the 15th century.[2] After nous and vous the adjective only strengthens them (nous autres).[2]

Its derivatives are autrui (about 1080), formed like lui, and altruisme (1830), coined from Latin alter by Auguste Comte or Andrieux.[7]

Timeline

  • late 10th century – Altre as a pronoun.[2][6]
  • c. 1040 – As an adjective, in the Vie de saint Alexis.[2]
  • 1080 – D'altre part.[2]
  • c. 1080 – Autrui.[7]
  • 1220 – Autre chose.[2]
  • 1830 – Altruisme.[7]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. other, different: l'autre porte, un autre jour, être autre, to be different.[4][8][1]
  2. Another, a second (of resemblance): c'est un autre Machiavel.[8][1]
  3. Autre part: elsewhere, d'autre part: on the other hand.[8]
  4. L'autre jour: the other day, recently.[8]
  5. After nous, vous: nous autres, we (as opposed to others).[2]

Pronoun

  1. Un autre, l'autre: another one, the other one, les autres: other people.[1][2]
  2. L'un… l'autre: the one … the other, l'un l'autre: each other.[4]

Word family

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 Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  3. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  4. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  5. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 24, 353a
  6. ^ a b c Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  7. ^ a b c d e Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  8. ^ a b c d Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Autre.” Etymologically, 18 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/autre. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

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