content

Pronunciation

• IPA: /kɔ̃.tɑ̃/^[1]

Forms

content (feminine contente, masculine plural contents, feminine plural contentes)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin contentus (“satisfied, contented”), the past participle of contineō (“to hold together, contain; to restrain”), from teneō (“to hold”).^{[2][3][4][5][6]} Literally “who holds himself in”, the Latin word meant “satisfied with”.^[3] Wiktionary treats it as inherited through Old French.^[1]

Cognate with Old Occitan content and Italian contento.^[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first recorded in the Clef d'amors (about 1280).^[2][8]

Semantic evolution

Its first sense, still dominant in classical French, is “wanting nothing more, satisfied with what one has”: Boileau's qui vit content de rien possède toute chose.^[3][9] That sense survives in content de peu, non content de and in the noun phrase avoir (tout) son content “to have one's fill” (late 15th century, Basselin).^[3][2][8] Modern usage stresses the quiet joy of satisfied wishes: content de partir.^[3]

The antonym mécontent (1501) replaced the older malcontent (13th century).^[3][4]

Timeline

• c. 1280 – Clef d'amors.^[2][8]
• 1314 – The verb contenter.^[3][4]
• Late 15th century – Avoir tout son content, Basselin.^[2][7]
• 1501 – Mécontent.^[3][4]

Meanings

Adjective

1. pleased, glad, happy: je suis content de te voir.^[9][1]
2. Satisfied (with): être content de son travail, content de quelqu'un.^[8][1]
3. (literary) Contented, wanting nothing more: content de peu, non content de, not satisfied with.^[8][7]

Noun

1. Avoir son content: to have one's fill (also ironic).^[9][3]

Word family

• contenter
• contentement
• mécontent
• mécontenter
• mécontentement

Related words

• contenir
• malcontent

Usage notes

Content is also the third person plural of conter (ils content).^[1]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e 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 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. ^ 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, 1104a
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 Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
9. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert