Etymologically
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coûter

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ku.te/[1]

Forms

coûter[1] Old French coster, Middle French couster, couter is a spelling variant.[2][1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French coster, inherited from Latin cōnstō (“to stand firm; to consist of; to cost”), formed with cum on stō (“to stand”).[3][2][4][5][6][1] The sense “to cost” developed in Latin with an ablative or genitive of price; only that sense passed into French.[2][4] The same Latin verb gave constat and consister.[2][1]

Cognate with Occitan costar, Spanish costar, Portuguese custar and Italian costare.[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

Chrétien de Troyes's Érec et Énide (about 1165) uses it impersonally and figuratively: Et dient que trop chier li coste “and they say it costs him too dear”.[3][2]

Semantic evolution

In Yvain (1172) it is used literally, “to require expense”.[3][2] Berte (13th century) has Sixante sols cousta, and Joinville reports that the queen said the work had cost a hundred pounds.[7] Amyot (16th century) has en couster la vie “to cost one's life”, prix coûtant “cost price” dates from 1679, and coûte que coûte “at all costs” from 1802.[3][2]

At first intransitive, the only use Littré thought correct, it has had transitive uses since the 17th century, as in coûter les yeux de la tête “to cost an arm and a leg”.[2][8]

Timeline

  • c. 1155 – The noun cust “cost”.[2]
  • c. 1165 – Coster, figurative, Chrétien de Troyes.[3]
  • 1172 – “To require expense”, Yvain.[3]
  • 16th century – En couster la vie, Amyot.[3]
  • 1679 – Prix coûtant.[3]
  • 1802 – Coûte que coûte.[2]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To cost: combien ça coûte ?, coûter cher, coûter cent euros.[9][1]
  2. To be painful, demand an effort: cet aveu lui a coûté.[2][9]
  3. To cost (someone something): cela lui a coûté bien des ennuis, coûter la vie.[2][3]
  4. Coûte que coûte: at all costs, coûter les yeux de la tête, to cost a fortune.[2][8]

Word family

  • coût
  • coûteux
  • coûtant
  • surcoût

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  3. ^ 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
  4. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  5. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 2, 1080b
  7. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  8. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  9. ^ a b Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert