Etymologically
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content

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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
  • 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