comme

Pronunciation

• IPA: /kɔm/^[1]
• IPA (colloquial): /kʌm/^[1]

Forms

comme^[1] Old French cum (842), com (10th century), come, cume.^[2][3] Com was used until the early 16th century.^[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French com, inherited from Latin quōmodo (“in what way, how; as”), a compound of the ablative of quis and modus (“manner”).^[3][5][6] The direct source of “cum”, “com” is the late form “quōmo”, “como”, recorded in inscriptions from the 5th century.^[3][4][6] The longer “come” is explained by Bloch and Wartburg, and by Rey as the more likely view, as “quōmodo” + et, as in the phrase “quomodo et tu”, found from the 3rd century; this also accounts for Italian come.^[4][3] Others explain it by analogy with pairs such as “or” and “ore”.^[3]

The oldest texts distinguish “com”, which introduces a comparative clause, from “come”, used before a noun or adjective (“or i fiert come ber” “now he strikes there like a baron”).^[4] Littré rejected a derivation from the conjunction cum, which the forms “come”, “como” rule out.^[7] Cognate with Spanish como, Portuguese como and Italian come.^[7][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Strasbourg Oaths (842) have si cum “as” in a comparison: si cum om per dreit son fradra salvar dift “as one should rightly help one's brother”.^[8][2]

Semantic evolution

The word had most of its functions, inherited from Latin syntax, before the 12th century.^[3] From its comparative use came, through a comparison of simultaneity, the use of time (comme il entrait, mid-10th century) and, from that the use of cause (1275, rare before the 15th century).^[3][8] In questions French has used comment, from com + -ment, since the 11th century; until the end of the 17th century comme and comment were often interchangeable.^[4]

Tout comme “just like” is found in Froissart, comme qui dirait “so to speak” in Amyot (1559) and comme quoi in 1466.^[8] Colloquial Canadian French uses comme like English “like”.^[1]

Timeline

• 842 – Si cum in the Strasbourg Oaths.^[8]
• mid-10th century – Of manner and of time, in the Passion de Clermont.^[8]
• 11th century – Comment in questions.^[4]
• 1275 – Of cause, in Jean de Meun.^[8]
• 1466 – Comme quoi.^[8]
• 1559 – Comme qui diroit in Amyot.^[8]

Meanings

Conjunction

1. as, like: marks a comparison: il écrit comme il parle, bavard comme une pie.^[9][1]
2. As, in the role of: il travaille comme serveur.^[1]
3. Such as: des fruits comme les pommes.^[1]
4. As, since: marks a cause: comme il pleuvait, je suis resté.^[1][3]
5. As, when: marks time: comme il entrait.^[8][3]
6. Comme si: as if.^[6][9]

Adverb

1. How (exclamative): comme c'est beau !.^[1][8]
2. Almost, as it were: il était comme fou.^[8]

Word family

• combien
• comment

Related words

• Latin quōmodo

Usage notes

Comme was given the sense of Latin cum “when, since” from the 16th century, when writers even used it with the subjunctive on the Latin model.^[7]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
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. ^ 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
5. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 2, 1542a
6. ^ a b c Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
7. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k 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
9. ^ a b Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert