Etymologically
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autre

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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