Etymologically
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concert

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /kɔ̃.sɛʁ/[1]

Forms

concert m (plural concerts)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Italian concerto (“agreement; ensemble of voices and instruments”) (16th century),[2][3][4][5] a noun from concertare (“to bring into agreement”),[2][3] from Latin concertō (“to contend, vie”), hence “to come to an agreement”.[4][6] Etymonline notes that the sense development from Latin “to contend” to medieval Italian “to bring into agreement” is not clear.[6]

The Italian word was taken again in the form “concerto” in 1739 (de Brosses), with another sense.[4][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Étienne Pasquier, in his Recherches de la France, lists concert for conférence among the words recently borrowed from Italy;[7][8] the TLFi records his use for a public lecture before 1615.[2]

Semantic evolution

The musical sense, a group of instruments playing together, is in Régnier's Satires (1608) and Cotgrave (1611);[2][4][9] in the 19th century it came to mean a musical performance, the hall where it takes place and the musicians themselves.[3] In the 20th century the word was used both of classical concerts and of popular music before very large audiences.[3] By extension it names any set of simultaneous sounds (un concert de klaxons).[3][10]

The general sense “agreement, concert of action” (Corneille, 1632–1633) survives in de concert “together, in agreement” (Pascal) and in the concert des nations;[2][3] concert de louanges is a chorus of praise.[3][11] In Belgium concert was the name of bourgeois assemblies.[12] English concert was borrowed from the French word in the 1660s, first in the sense “agreement”.[6]

Timeline

  • Late 16th century – Concert for conférence, in Pasquier.[7]
  • 1608 – A group of musical instruments, in Régnier.[2]
  • 1632–1633 – “Agreement” in Corneille.[2]
  • 1657–1661 – De concert in Pascal.[2]
  • 1660s – English borrows concert.[6]
  • 1739 – The Italianism concerto.[3]
  • 1852 – Café-concert.[3]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A concert, musical performance: aller au concert, salle de concert.[11][10]
  2. A chorus of sounds: le concert des oiseaux, un concert de sifflets.[11][10]
  3. (literary) Agreement, harmony between people or states: le concert des nations.[10][11]
  4. De concert: together, in concert.[11][10]
  5. Un concert de louanges: a chorus of praise.[11][3]

Word family

  • concerter
  • concertiste
  • café-concert
  • concerto
  • déconcerter
  • English concert

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h 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 Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b c d 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, 999a
  6. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  7. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  8. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  9. ^ Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  10. ^ a b c d e Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
  11. ^ a b c d e f Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  12. ^ Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF