Etymologically
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contre

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /kɔ̃tʁ/[1]

Forms

contre[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French contre, inherited from Latin contrā (“opposite, facing; against”).[2][3][4][5][1] It is first written in its Latin form “contra” (842), then “cuntre” (1080) and “contre” (about 1170).[3][6] The Latin word has a suffix marking contrast, also seen in extrā.[3]

Bloch and Wartburg note that the classical sense “facing” lived on in French until the 17th century and gave the derivative contrée.[4] From the Vulgate onward “contra” competed with the compound incontrā, whence encontre.[4] Cognate with Romanian către, Italian contro, Occitan contra, Spanish contra and Portuguese contra.[7][8]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Serments de Strasbourg (842) have the Latin form: in nulla aiudha contra Lodhuwig “in no help against Louis”, marking hostility.[2][8]

Semantic evolution

By 1080 the word had the three values it still has: contact (cuntre tere “against the ground”), proportion (Cuntre un des noz en truverat morz quinze “for one of ours he will find fifteen dead”) and opposition.[3][2] Its defensive sense, “to protect against”, dates from 1160–74, and “in exchange for” from 1323.[2][3]

The idea of a contrary direction gave contre le vent (about 1174), contre vent et marée (1606), contre nature and contre toute espérance (1560).[2][3] Par contre “on the other hand” goes back to Calvin; purists condemned it, but André Gide defended it.[3] As a noun it is used in le pour et le contre.[3] In Swiss and Lyon French it can mean “towards”, and in Belgium mettre la porte contre is to leave a door pushed to.[3]

Timeline

  • 842 – Contra in the Serments de Strasbourg.[2]
  • c. 1100 – Cuntre paiens and cuntre tere in the Chanson de Roland.[2]
  • c. 1170 – The form contre in Chrétien de Troyes.[3][2]
  • c. 1174 – Cuntre le vent.[2]
  • 1323 – The sense “in exchange for”.[2]
  • 16th century – Par contre in Calvin.[3]
  • 1606 – Contre vent et marée.[2]

Meanings

Preposition

  1. Against, touching: contre le mur, serrer contre son cœur.[9][10]
  2. Against, in opposition to: lutter contre la fraude, nager contre le courant.[10][9]
  3. For protection against: un sirop contre la toux.[10]
  4. In exchange for: échanger un livre contre un disque.[10][1]
  5. As against, compared with: dix voix contre trois.[10][1]

Adverb

  1. Against: voter contre, tout contre, very close.[10]
  2. Par contre: on the other hand.[10][3]

Noun

  1. Le pour et le contre: the pros and cons.[1]
  2. (bridge) A double.[1]

Word family

  • contrer
  • encontre
  • rencontrer
  • contrée
  • contraire

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ 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
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b c 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, 1111a
  6. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  7. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
  8. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  9. ^ a b Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  10. ^ a b c d e f g Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)