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cinématographie

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Etymology and origin of the French word cinématographie

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1895 More words from the 19th century
Ultimate origin
French cinéma-,-graphe,-ie
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
French cinématographe
French cinématographie
From the same root
English cinematographer ← cinématographe
English cinematography ← cinématographe
French cinéma ← cinématographe

Pronunciation

  • /si.ne.ma.tɔ.ɡʁa.fi/[1]

Forms

cinématographie f (plural cinématographies)[1]

Etymology

It is formed from French cinématographe + -ie.[2][1][3] Cinématographe (1893) is a compound of the elements cinéma- and -graphe.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The TLFi first finds it in 1897, in the plural cinématographies meaning “films”, in the magazine La Nature;[2] the Grand Robert, the Petit Robert and the DHLF date it to 1895.[4][5][3]

Semantic evolution

It was formed on cinématographe at the same time as the adjective cinématographique (1896).[3] It came to name the art and technique of making films, a more learned word than cinéma,[5][2] and also the whole of a country's cinema installations and its economic and administrative bodies, as in Centre national de la cinématographie.[2] The prefixed télécinématographie (1910) was replaced by télécinéma.[3]

Timeline

  • 1895 – First date given by the Grand Robert, the Petit Robert and the DHLF.[4][5][3]
  • 1897 – Cinématographies “films” appears in La Nature.[2]
  • 1898 – The GLLF's first record, also in La Nature.[6]
  • 1910 – The prefixed télécinématographie appears.[3]

Meanings

Noun

  1. (formal) The art and technique of making films, cinematography.[2][5][6]
  2. The cinema industry and institutions of a country, taken as a whole.[2]

Usage notes

The verb cinématographier “to record on film” is little used; filmer is the usual word.[2]

References

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

“Cinématographie.” Etymologically, 15 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/cin%C3%A9matographie. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

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