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carré

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Etymology and origin of the French word carré

Confidence
Established
Formation
Inherited
First attested
1121–1135 Philippe de Thaon, Bestiaire More words from the 12th century
Inherited from
Latin quadratus via Old French
Ultimate origin
Latin quadrus
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin quattuor
Italian quattro
Romanian patru
Spanish cuatro
Latin quadrus
Latin quadrum
Spanish cuadro
Latin quadrō
Latin quadrātus
French carré
From the same root
Latin quadrivium ← quattuor
Latin quater ← quattuor
Latin quattuordecim ← quattuor
Latin quadra ← quadrus
Latin quadraria ← quadrus
Latin quadrellus ← quadrus
Spanish cuadrilla ← quadrum
Latin quadrāns ← quadrō
Latin quadrātūra ← quadrō
Latin quadrātum ← quadrātus

Pronunciation

Forms

carré (feminine carrée, masculine plural carrés, feminine plural carrées)[1] Old French quarré; the spelling quarré is still in Nicot (1606) and Furetière (1690).[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French quarré, inherited from Latin quadrātus (“squared”), the past participle of quadrō (“to make square”), which is derived from quadrus (“square”).[2][4][5][6][3] The Latin participle already had the senses “square in section”, “forming a right angle” and, figuratively, “strong, well developed”.[2][5] Wiktionary names cadrat as its learned doublet.[1]

The noun is recorded from the late 15th century;[5][3] Rey takes it as the adjective used as a noun or as a borrowing of the Latin neuter quadrātum, while the Grand Robert derives it from the adjective.[5][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found in Philippe de Thaon's Bestiaire (1121–1135), figuratively, of a thing that is large and strong; the literal sense “square in section” follows about 1170 in Aiol, in l'anste al fer quarré “the shaft with the square iron head”.[2][5]

Semantic evolution

The early figurative sense announces the moral sense “firm, clear-cut in character”, used of a person from 1671 (Mme de Sévigné, mon esprit juste et carré), with tête carrée “obstinate person” (1774, Beaumarchais) and bon sens carré (1844, Balzac).[2][5] The literal sense gave mathematical terms, racine carrée (1690) and nombre carré (1694), and looser everyday uses such as bonnet carré (1601) and menton carré.[2][5] The sense “at a right angle” (1694) appears in voiles carrées (1831), sails set on yards across the masts, and in the square Hebrew script.[2][5]

The noun is first a geometrical term (1538, as opposed to the circle) and then, by likeness of shape, names a garden bed (1548), a cut of meat (1679, carré de mouton), a muscle (1707), an army formation facing four ways (1823), the officers' mess on a ship (1828) and a square scarf (1832).[5] In mathematics it is a number multiplied by itself (1694), and students in the preparatory classes use it for a second-year pupil (1873).[5][2] At poker it is four of a kind (1929), and carré de l'Est is a cheese (1962).[5] In Quebec it is a square in a town, used instead of the anglicism square, and carré de sable is a sandpit.[5]

Timeline

  • 1121–1135 – First record, figuratively, in Philippe de Thaon's Bestiaire.[2]
  • c. 1170 – Used of a shaft square in section, in Aiol.[2]
  • late 15th century – The noun quarré appears.[5]
  • 1538 – Robert Estienne records the noun.[3]
  • 1548 – Carré is used for a garden bed.[5]
  • 1671 – Mme de Sévigné uses it of a firm mind.[2]
  • 1690 – Furetière records racine quarrée.[2]
  • 1694 – Used for the square of a number.[5]
  • 1774 – Beaumarchais uses tête carrée.[2]
  • 1823 – Used for a square of troops.[5]
  • 1929 – Used for four of a kind at poker.[5]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. square: having four equal sides and four right angles;[7][2] mètre carré “square metre”.[7][2]
  2. (mathematics) Racine carrée: square root;[7][1] matrice carrée, a square matrix.[7][1]
  3. Roughly square, broad: un menton carré.[5][7]
  4. (figurative) Frank, forthright;[2][5][1] tête carrée, an obstinate person.[2][5][1]
  5. (sailing) Voile carrée: a square sail.[2][5]

Noun

  1. A square, the geometrical figure.[2][7][1]
  2. (mathematics) The square, the second power of a number.[2][1]
  3. A square patch or bed of a garden: un carré de poireaux.[8][1][5]
  4. (cooking) A rack of meat: carré d'agneau.[5]
  5. (military) A square formation of troops.[5]
  6. (navy) The officers' wardroom.[5]
  7. A square scarf.[5]
  8. (poker) four of a kind.[1][5]
  9. (student slang) A second-year pupil in the preparatory classes.[2][5]
  10. (Quebec) A town square;[5] carré de sable, a sandpit.[5]

Word family

  • carrée
  • carrément

Usage notes

Au carré describes a haircut with the hair all of one length, and familiarly mettre la tête au carré means to beat someone's face in.[5]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l 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 s t u 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
  3. ^ a b c d e Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 2, 1398a
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z 27 28 29 30 31 Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  6. ^ Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  7. ^ a b c d e f Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  8. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Carré.” Etymologically, 11 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/carr%C3%A9. Accessed 12 Nov. 2026.

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