Etymologically
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cours

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Pronunciation

Forms

cours m (invariable)[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Latin cursus (“running; journey, voyage; course of the stars, of a river, of life”), from currō (“to run”), the source of courir.[2][3][4][1][5] Most of its French senses already existed in Latin, Rey notes that it is impossible to say which were taken again from Latin and which developed within French.[4][3] course and cursus are doublets.[1]

Cognate with Romanian curs, Italian corso and Old Occitan cors.[6][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Chanson de Roland (about 1100) uses it for the act of running: Descent à pied, alet i est plein curs (“he dismounts and goes there at a full run”).[2][7]

Semantic evolution

The sense “running” was taken over by course in the 13th century.[8] The voyage of a ship is cours about 1120, whence par long cours (1529) and voyage de long cours (Furetière, 1690); the movement of the stars about 1170, and, perhaps through it, the course of time (Benoît de Sainte-Maure), now chiefly in au cours de and suivre son cours.[2][3][9] The flow of a river appears before 1200, cours d'eau in the early 16th century, and donner libre cours (1640) began with tears.[2][3]

Oresme (about 1370) uses it for the circulation of money and goods, and in 1602 it means a rate of exchange, whence avoir cours (1627), figuratively from 1671.[2][3] In education it meant a course of study (1331), teaching (Nicot, 1606), a lesson (1694), a school (1882) and a grade of primary school (1887, cours élémentaire, cours moyen).[2][3] Its use for a broad avenue dates from the Cours-la-Reine laid out by Marie de Médicis in 1616, influenced by Italian corso.[2][3]

Timeline

  • c. 1100 – “Running”, in the Chanson de Roland.[2]
  • c. 1120 – The voyage of a ship.[2]
  • c. 1170 – The course of the stars; of time.[2]
  • 1331 – A course of study.[2]
  • c. 1370 – The circulation of money, in Oresme.[2]
  • 1602 – An exchange rate.[2]
  • 1616 – The Cours-la-Reine in Paris.[2][3]
  • 1694 – A lesson.[2]
  • 1887 – Cours élémentaire, cours moyen.[2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. The flow, course of a river: le cours du Rhône, cours d'eau, a watercourse.[10][11][2]
  2. The course of the stars.[10]
  3. The course of time or events: au cours de, suivre son cours.[1][3]
  4. Donner libre cours à: to give free rein to.[3][8]
  5. (finance) A rate, price: le cours du dollar, avoir cours, to be legal tender, to be current.[3][2]
  6. A class, lesson, lecture: un cours d'histoire; a course of study; a textbook.[10][2]
  7. A grade of French primary school: cours préparatoire, élémentaire, moyen.[3][2]
  8. A private school: cours de danse.[3]
  9. A broad avenue.[1][3]
  10. Au long cours: (of a voyage) deep-sea.[3]

Word family

  • coursier
  • coursière

Usage notes

The final ⟨s⟩ is silent, Féraud and Gattel noted a pronunciation with /s/, which Littré called bad.[2][7]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u 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 m n o Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b 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, 1576a
  6. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
  7. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  8. ^ a b Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  9. ^ Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF
  10. ^ a b c Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
  11. ^ Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)