Etymology and origin of the French word carbonater
- Confidence
- Established
- Formation
- Derivation
- First attested
- 1845 Bescherelle More words from the 19th century
- Ultimate origin
- Latin carbō
Etymology tree
From the same root
Forms
carbonater (transitive verb, first conjugation; past participle carbonaté)[1][2]
Etymology
It is formed from French carbonate + -er.[1][3][4] The adjective carbonaté is older (1801).[1][3] The noun carbonate (1787) is in turn from French carbone, with the suffix -ate, and that word is borrowed from Latin carbō (“coal”).[1]
Earliest recorded meaning
The adjective carbonaté appears in Haüy's Traité de minéralogie in 1801; the verb is first recorded by Bescherelle in 1845, meaning to turn into a carbonate.[1][5]
Semantic evolution
The verb has stayed a term of chemistry: to turn a substance into a carbonate, or to combine it with carbon dioxide or a carbonate, especially in sugar refining.[1][6] Littré also records the reflexive se carbonater “to turn into a carbonate”.[6] It produced carbonatation (1874) and carbonateur (1886).[1][7]
Timeline
- 1801 – Haüy uses the adjective carbonaté.[1]
- 1845 – Bescherelle records carbonater.[1][5]
- 1874 – The noun carbonatation appears in the Journal officiel.[1]
- 1886 – Wurtz's dictionary of chemistry has carbonateur.[1]
Meanings
Verb
- (chemistry) To turn into a carbonate.[3][4][2]
- To add carbonate to; to combine with carbon dioxide, especially in the sugar industry: eaux carbonatées.[1][4]
- Se carbonater: to turn into a carbonate.[1][6]
Word family
- carbonatation
- carbonateur
Related words
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m 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
- ^ a b Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
- ^ a b c Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
- ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
- ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
- ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
- ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
Cite this entry
“Carbonater.” Etymologically, 15 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/carbonater. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.
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