avancer

Pronunciation

• IPA: /a.vɑ̃.se/^[1]

Forms

avancer^[1] Old French avancier, Middle French advancer.^[1][2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French avancier, inherited from Vulgar Latin *abantiāre (“to bring forward”),^[2][3][1][4] from Late Latin abante (“before, in front”), which is ab and ante (“before”) (whence avant).^[2][3][5]

Cognate with Italian avanzare and Old Occitan avansar;^[6][3] Meyer-Lübke takes Spanish avanzar and Portuguese avançar from Occitan.^[6] It was borrowed into German avancieren and Danish avancere.^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

The reflexive is found about 1120 and in 1155;^[2] 12th-century epics have chascuns forment s'avance “each pushes boldly forward”.^[7]

Semantic evolution

The transitive avancier meant “to further, make progress” in Wace (about 1170) and “to speed up” in 1223.^[2] From the 13th century it had a spatial sense, “to bring forward” (1278), and intransitively “to jut out”;^[2][8] avancer a proposition, “to put forward as true”, dates from 1299.^[2] The temporal sense “to hasten; to bring forward (a date)” appears about 1400 and about 1550, and the financial sense “to lend (money in advance)” in 1469.^[2]

A clock or watch avance when it gains, and a person avance when their watch is fast (1830).^[2][9] The derivatives avance (about 1400) and avancement (12th century) both meant “advantage” until the 16th century;^[3] faire des avances “to make advances” dates from 1662.^[2]

Timeline

• c. 1120 – The reflexive s'avancier.^[2]
• c. 1170 – “To further” in Wace.^[2]
• 1278 – “To bring forward”.^[2][8]
• 1299 – “To put forward (an idea)”.^[2]
• 1469 – “To lend in advance”.^[2]
• 1662 – Faire des avances.^[2]
• 1830 – Vous avancez “your watch is fast”.^[9]

Meanings

Verb

1. (transitive) To move forward, bring forward: avancer une chaise, avancer un pion.^[8][10]
2. To put forward, propose (an idea) as true: avancer une thèse.^[8][1]
3. To bring forward (in time): avancer son départ; to put (a clock) forward.^[8][11]
4. To advance, lend (money): avancer de l'argent à qqn.^[2][1]
5. To speed up, make progress with: avancer son travail.^[11][2]
6. (intransitive) To advance, move forward; to make progress; of a clock, to be fast; to jut out.^[1][12]
7. (reflexive) To move forward, approach; to commit oneself.^[1][8]

Word family

• avance
• avancement
• avancé
• avancée
• devancer

Related words

• avant
• English advance

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 o p q r Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ a b c d Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
4. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 24, 11b
5. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ a b Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
7. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
8. ^ a b c d e f Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
9. ^ a b Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF
10. ^ Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)
11. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
12. ^ Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)