autrefois

Pronunciation

• IPA: /o.tʁə.fwa/^[1]

Forms

autrefois^[1]

Etymology

It is from French autre + fois, literally “another time”.^{[2][3][4][1][5]} fois continues Latin vicēs (“turns, successions”).^[6][7] Littré points out that, from this literal sense, Old French used it of the future as well as of the past.^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Benoît de Sainte-Maure (1160) has autrefeiz.^[2][3][4]

Semantic evolution

In the 13th century Villehardouin writes j'i ai esté autre fois “I have been there before”, while Froissart still uses autre fois for “another time, on another occasion” in the future.^[5] The modern sense, “in a time now past”, usually opposed to the present, is the only one left.^[8][4] Poets of the late 19th century used it as a noun, l'autrefois (Verhaeren, 1895, Jammes, 1898 and 1906).^[9]

Timeline

• 1160 – Autrefeiz, Benoît de Sainte-Maure.^[2]
• 13th century – “Previously”, Villehardouin.^[5]
• 1895 – The noun l'autrefois, Verhaeren.^[9]

Meanings

Adverb

1. formerly, in the past, once: cet homme autrefois si énergique, d'autrefois, of old, of former times: les mœurs d'autrefois.^[4][3]

Noun

1. (literary) L'autrefois: the past.^[9]

Related words

• jadis
• fois
• autre

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ a b c Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
4. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ a b c d Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
6. ^ Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
7. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 14, 411a
8. ^ 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
9. ^ a b c Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF