Etymologically
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chapelle

Etymology and origin of the French word chapelle

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Inherited
First attested
c. 1100, Chanson de Roland (chapele)
Inherited from
Latin cappella via Old French
Ultimate origin
Late Latin (cappa)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ʃa.pɛl/[1]

Forms

chapelle f (plural chapelles)[1] Old French chapele, Picard capele.[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French chapele, inherited from Late Latin cappella (“little cloak”),[2][3][5][6][1][7] a diminutive of cappa (“hooded cloak”), whence chape and cape.[3][5][8] Medieval Latin cappella named first (679) the cloak of Saint Martin of Tours, a relic venerated by the Frankish kings, then the treasury of royal relics and the oratory of the palace where it was kept (788).[3][6][5] From there it spread to any private oratory or chapel without parish rights (801–810), as well as to the royal chancery and the palace clergy.[3]

The Latin word passed to Italian cappella, Spanish capilla and German Kapelle.[5][9]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Chanson de Roland (about 1100) uses chapele for the chapel of Charlemagne's palace at Aachen.[2][3]

Semantic evolution

In Old French it is also a place of worship in a private house, a church without full parish rights (early 12th century), and a side chapel with a secondary altar in a church (1405).[2][3] By metonymy it meant the plate and vessels for saying mass (1328) and a benefice (Villon, about 1461).[3][2] The chapelle ardente, a room where a body lies in state among candles, is from before 1558.[2]

Figuratively, a chapelle is a closed coterie (Gautier, 1870), and the printers' chapelle was an association of workers sharing extra profits (1803).[2]

Timeline

  • 679 – Medieval Latin cappella, Saint Martin's cloak.[3][6]
  • c. 1100 – Chapele (Roland).[2][6]
  • early 12th century – A private chapel.[2]
  • 1405 – A side chapel in a church.[2][3]
  • before 1558 – Chapelle ardente.[2]
  • 1870 – A literary coterie.[2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A chapel, a small church or place of worship.[8][1]
  2. A side chapel in a church, with its own altar.[8][2]
  3. Chapelle ardente: a room where a body lies in state.[8][2]
  4. (figurative) A clique or coterie.[8][2]

Word family

  • chapelain

Usage notes

A rare second chapelle (1643), a covering for the head, comes from chapel, the old form of chapeau.[6][1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o 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 f g h i j Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  5. ^ a b c d 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 Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  7. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 2, 285a
  8. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  9. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Chapelle.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/chapelle. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

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