Etymologically
Log in

course

Etymology and origin of the French word course

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1213, Faits des Romains (corse)
Ultimate origin
Latin (currō)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /kuʁs/[1]

Forms

course f (plural courses)[1] Old French corse (1213); course from 1553, or from Froissart about 1360.[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is the feminine form of cours, from Latin cursus (“a running, course”), from currō (“to run”), and its development may have been helped by Italian corsa (“run, race”), recorded in the 14th century.[2][3][5][1][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Faits des Romains (1213) use corse for a military expedition; the Roman de Renart (about 1205) has a grant corse “at a great run”.[2][4]

Semantic evolution

In the sense “running, speed” it displaced the masculine cours, with the phrase au pas de course (1835).[3] As a contest it is in Robert Estienne (1538), with courses de chevaux (1700, Rey; 1771, Turgot), course au clocher (1833, Balzac) and course de taureaux (1654, revived in 1847 by Mérimée).[2][3] In Quebec être à la course means to be in a hurry.[3]

At sea a course was an expedition for plunder (1568), the activity of the corsaire: international law of the 17th century applied it to armed ships licensed to attack an enemy's trade (guerre de course), which reached its height between 1577 and the early 18th century.[2][3] Other senses followed: the course of the sun (1568), a set route (1606), a cab ride (1813), a walk in the mountains (1775–1796), the travel of a machine part (1676), and an errand (1690), whence faire les courses “to go shopping”.[2][7][1]

Timeline

  • c. 1205 – A grant corse, Roman de Renart.[2]
  • 1213 – Corse, a military expedition.[2]
  • 1538 – A race, Robert Estienne.[2]
  • 1568 – A privateering expedition; the course of the sun.[2]
  • 1690 – An errand, Furetière.[2]
  • 1771 – Courses de chevaux, Turgot.[2]
  • 1813 – A cab ride.[2]
  • 1847 – Course de taureaux, Mérimée.[2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. running, a run: au pas de course, faire la course avec qqn, à bout de course, exhausted.[8][1]
  2. A race: course à pied, courses de chevaux, (plural) horse races.[8][1]
  3. (figurative) A race, competition: la course aux armements.[3][1]
  4. An errand, (plural) shopping: faire les courses.[2][1]
  5. A journey, a trip; a taxi ride: le prix de la course.[2][8]
  6. The course, path (of a star, of time); (mechanics) the travel of a piston.[2][8]
  7. A mountain outing, (skiing) racing.[7]
  8. (historical) privateering: guerre de course.[3]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h 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 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 Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  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, 1576b
  7. ^ a b Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF
  8. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
Cite this entry

“Course.” Etymologically, 18 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/course. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·