Etymologically
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chercher

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 17 October 2026 at 21:00. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ʃɛʁ.ʃe/[1]

Forms

chercher[1] Old French cercer, cerchier, cercher was still in use in 1642.[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French cerchier, inherited from Late Latin circāre (“to go round, travel about to examine”) (4th century), which in Medieval Latin also meant “to search, scrutinise”;[2][3][4] it is formed on circā (“around”), from circus (“circle”).[3][1] The modern form arose by assimilation of the first consonant to the second (1468) and prevailed only in the 17th century.[3][5]

Bloch and Wartburg think the verb's use in hunting helped it pass from “travel through” to “look for”.[5] It displaced the old verb quérir, now alive only in Walloon and Lorraine dialects.[5][3] Cognate with Old Occitan cercar, Italian cercare (“to travel through, seek”), Spanish cercar (“to surround”) and Romanian cerca.[5][3] English search is from Old French cercher.[5][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Chanson de Roland (about 1100) has cercer “to go all over, search through”: cerce les vals, et si cerce les monz.[2][6]

Semantic evolution

In medieval texts it chiefly meant “to go through, search (a place)”.[5][6] The sense “to try to find someone or something” is found about 1172 in Chrétien de Troyes,[2] and “to try to find by thinking” in Estienne (1538–1539).[2] After verbs of motion it means “to fetch”: faire cerchier (1210–1220), aller chercher (1538).[2] Chercher à + infinitive “to try to” dates from Montaigne (before 1592), and chercher querelle “to pick a quarrel” likewise.[2][3] Racine's se chercher “to try to know oneself” is from 1677.[2]

In familiar speech chercher qqn is to provoke someone (si tu me cherches, tu me trouves !),[3] and ça va chercher dans les mille francs (1945) means “it comes to about a thousand francs”.[3][2]

Timeline

  • c. 1100 – Cercer “to search through” in the Chanson de Roland.[2]
  • c. 1172 – “To look for” in Chrétien de Troyes.[2]
  • 1210–1220 – Faire cerchier “to send for”.[2]
  • 1468 – The assimilated form chercher.[3]
  • 1538 – Aller chercher; the noun chercheur.[2][5]
  • 1642 – Cercher still in use.[2]
  • 1945 – Aller chercher “to come to (a price)”.[2]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To look for, seek (someone or something): chercher ses clés.[7][8]
  2. To try to find by thinking: chercher une solution.[7][8]
  3. Aller, venir chercher: to fetch, go and get, pick up.[2][1]
  4. Chercher à + infinitive: to try to.[2][1]
  5. To try to obtain (work, fortune); to court (danger): tu l'as cherché !.[3][7]
  6. (familiar) To provoke (someone).[3][1]
  7. (familiar) Aller chercher dans: to come to (an amount).[3]
  8. (reflexive) To look for each other; to try to find oneself.[1][2]

Word family

  • chercheur
  • rechercher
  • quérir
  • cercle
  • cirque
  • English search

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g 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 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 k l m n Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 2, 695b
  5. ^ 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
  6. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  7. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  8. ^ a b Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)