Etymologically
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aventure

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /a.vɑ̃.tyʁ/[1]

Forms

aventure f (plural aventures)[1] Old French adventure (11th century).[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Vulgar Latin *adventūra (“things that are to happen”), a neuter plural taken as a feminine singular noun,[4][5][2][6][7][1] from the future participle of adveniō (“to arrive, happen”) (see advenir and avenir).[4][3][8] Rey describes it as a borrowing from spoken Latin, the others as inherited.[4][5][1]

Compare Old Occitan aventura, Spanish aventura and Italian avventura; German Abenteuer comes from French.[8][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Rey dates it to 1050, first meaning “fate, destiny”, close to avenir; the Laws of William the Conqueror have per aventure “by chance”: Si alcuns crieve l'oil a l'altre per aventure.[4][6][8]

Semantic evolution

It also meant “chance” (early 12th century) and “danger”, of which la bonne aventure, the telling of fortunes, survives (15th century); classical French still used bonne and mauvaise aventure for one's lot.[4][6] Very early it took the nuance “unexpected event” (late 11th century), with par aventure (Chrétien de Troyes) and d'aventure (about 1395), already archaic at the end of the 17th century, Littré notes that par aventure was later revived.[4][8]

The modern sense, an extraordinary undertaking full of danger and discovery, came with the romances of chivalry (Marie de France's Lais, second half of the 12th century); the modern imagination linked it to travel and exploration.[4] À l'aventure (1306) replaced en aventure.[4] In the classical language it also meant a love affair.[4][1] Grosse aventure “risky profit” (about 1530) was long a term of maritime law, and in African French les aventures are comic strips.[4]

Timeline

  • c. 1050 – “Fate”.[4]
  • Late 11th century – “Unexpected event”.[4]
  • 12th century – aventurer, aventureux.[5]
  • Second half of the 12th century – A knightly adventure, Marie de France.[4]
  • 1306 – À l'aventure.[4]
  • 15th century – La bonne aventure; aventurier.[4][5]
  • c. 1530 – Grosse aventure in maritime law.[4]

Meanings

Noun

  1. An adventure, an unexpected or surprising event: une fâcheuse aventure, il lui est arrivé toutes sortes d'aventures.[3][1]
  2. An undertaking full of risk and novelty, l'aventure, adventure.[4][3]
  3. A venture.[1]
  4. A love affair.[1][4]
  5. Dire la bonne aventure: to tell fortunes, diseuse de bonne aventure, fortune-teller.[6][3]
  6. À l'aventure: at random, aimlessly, (literary) d'aventure, par aventure, by chance.[4][8]
  7. (old) Fate, one's lot.[3][6]

Word family

  • aventurer
  • aventureux
  • aventurier
  • aventurine
  • mésaventure

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  3. ^ a b c d e f Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  5. ^ a b c d e Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  6. ^ a b c d e Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  7. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 24, 194b
  8. ^ a b c d e Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette