Etymologically
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bon

Etymology and origin of the French word bon

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Inherited
First attested
881, Sequence of Saint Eulalia
Inherited from
Latin bonus via Old French
Ultimate origin
Latin (bonus)
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin bonus
French bon
Latin bonitas
English bounty

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /bɔ̃/[1]
  • IPA: /bɔ.n‿/[1]

Forms

bon (feminine bonne, masculine plural bons, feminine plural bonnes, comparative meilleur, superlative le meilleur)[1] Old French buon (881), boen, buen and bon.[2] Bon, the form developed in unstressed position, won because the adjective usually stood before the noun.[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French bon, inherited from Latin bonus (“good; fitting; brave”).[2][4][5][1] The Latin word was used in formulas of politeness and, familiarly, for “great” (“bona pars” “a good part”); it was opposed to malus and closely linked to its derivatives bene (whence bien) and bellus (whence beau).[2][6] It goes back to Old Latin duenos, “duonus”, from “*dwenos”.[2][1] Rey compares its stem with Vedic “dúvaḥ” “homage”, which would point to an old religious use, as in “di boni” “kind gods”.[2][1]

Cognate with Romanian bun, Italian buono, Occitan bon, Spanish bueno and Portuguese bom.[6][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Sequence of Saint Eulalia (881) has Buona pulcella fut Eulalia “Eulalia was a good maiden”, of a person with the qualities proper to her nature and station, “true, virtuous”.[2][8]

Semantic evolution

The oldest uses come under the idea of fitness: bon described a being with the qualities thought proper to its nature, sex, rank or function according to the culture of the time.[2] It was applied to things from the 11th century.[5] Many senses developed: “efficient, suited to its purpose” (la bonne clé), “useful”, “profitable” (une bonne affaire), “kind” and, familiarly, “great, strong” (une bonne grippe).[9]

As a noun un bon is a written note entitling the holder to a payment or service, from about 1700 (Saint-Simon), and bonne “maidservant” dates from 1708.[3][5] Bonbon (1604) is a children's doubling, and boniment (1837) comes through a slang verb bonir “to talk”.[3] Bon ! as an interjection marks agreement or a conclusion.[5][6]

Timeline

  • 881 – Buona in the Sequence of Saint Eulalia.[2]
  • 11th century – Bon of things.[5]
  • 1604 – Bonbon.[3]
  • c. 1700 – Un bon, a voucher, in Saint-Simon.[3][5]
  • 1708 – Bonne “maidservant”.[3]
  • 1837 – Boniment.[3]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. good: having the qualities proper to its kind: un bon ouvrier, un bon vin.[9][1]
  2. Right, correct, suitable: la bonne clé, le bon chemin.[9][1]
  3. Good, useful, profitable: une bonne affaire, bon pour la santé.[9]
  4. Kind, generous: un homme bon.[1][2]
  5. (familiar) Big, strong: une bonne grippe, un bon coup.[9]
  6. (slang, derogatory) Sexy, of a woman.[1]

Noun

  1. Le bon: what is good, avoir du bon, to have its advantages.[6]
  2. A voucher, a coupon: bon d'achat, bon du Trésor.[6][1]

Interjection

  1. Good, well, all right: bon, on y va.[5][6]

Word family

  • bonbon
  • bonjour
  • bonne
  • bonhomme
  • boniment
  • bonifier
  • abonnir

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  3. ^ a b c d e f g 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. 1, 433b
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  6. ^ a b c d e f Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  7. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  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 d e Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse

Related etymologies

  • ce · also from Latin
  • on · also from Latin
  • faire · also from Latin
  • vous · also from Latin
  • pouvoir · also from Latin
  • où · also from Latin
  • nous · also from Latin
  • lui · also from Latin
Cite this entry

“Bon.” Etymologically, 18 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/bon. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·