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couvert

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Etymology and origin of the French word couvert

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1100s More words from the 11th century
Ultimate origin
Latin cooperiō
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin operiō
Latin cooperiō
French couvrir
French couvert
Italian coprire
Romanian acoperi
Romanian coperi
Spanish cubrir
From the same root
Latin adoperiō ← operiō
Latin operculum ← operiō
Latin opertum ← operiō
Latin coopertōrium ← cooperiō
Latin coopertūra ← cooperiō
Latin discooperiō ← cooperiō
French couverture ← couvrir
French recouvrir ← couvrir
Italian scoprire ← coprire

Pronunciation

Forms

couvert (feminine couverte, masculine plural couverts, feminine plural couvertes)[1]

Etymology

Used as an adjective and a noun, it is the past participle from French couvrir.[2][3][4][5][6] The verb is from Old French covrir, from Latin cooperiō (“to cover completely”), a compound of co- and operiō (“to cover”).[2][3] Wiktionary traces the participle to Old French covert and Latin coopertus.[1]

Cognate with Occitan cubert, Portuguese coberta and Italian coperto.[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

The noun is recorded in the 12th century in the sense “retreat, lodging”, now obsolete.[4][5] The participle appears in Chrétien de Troyes's Cligès (1176) in par moz coverz “in veiled words”.[2]

Semantic evolution

As a noun, still with the idea of “what covers”, it took the sense “roof” in the 16th century, kept in le vivre et le couvert “board and lodging”, a phrase still used but often misread.[4] It has named the shelter given by foliage since 1285, and by extension the trees giving the shade.[4][8] Other senses live in phrases: sous le couvert de (1669) “under the name of”, and à couvert de “protected from”.[4]

Since the 16th century it has also named what covers the table for a meal: mettre le couvert is recorded in 1631, and the utensils for each guest are so called from 1616.[4][8] With the change in table manners of the 17th century, under Italian influence, it came to mean above all the knife, fork and spoon together.[4] In the mid-20th century the popular phrase remettre le couvert “to start again” arose, said of sexual relations.[4][2] In Canadian French it means a lid or the cover of a book.[4]

The adjective follows the senses of the verb; of the sky, “overcast”, it is found in 1636, in Monet's dictionary.[9][10]

Timeline

  • 12th century – The noun means “retreat, lodging”.[4][5]
  • 1176 – Par moz coverz “in veiled words” appears in Cligès.[2]
  • 1285 – It names the shade of foliage.[4][8]
  • 16th century – Senses “roof” and “what covers the table”.[4]
  • 1616 – It names the utensils for each guest.[4][8]
  • 1631 – Mettre le couvert is recorded.[4]
  • 1636 – Couvert “overcast” is found in Monet.[9]
  • 1669 – Sous le couvert de “under the name of” appears.[4]
  • Mid-20th century – Remettre le couvert “to start again”.[4]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Covered, having a roof or covering: allée couverte, piscine couverte.[8][10]
  2. Wearing clothes; wearing a hat: restez couvert “keep your hat on”.[8][10]
  3. Couvert de: covered with.[8] Un mur couvert de lierre.[8]
  4. Of the sky: overcast.[8][1]
  5. (dated) Hidden, secret;[8] à mots couverts: in veiled terms.[8]

Noun

  1. The shelter or shade given by foliage: sous le couvert des pins.[8][2]
  2. (dated) Lodging that protects from the weather;[8][2] le vivre et le couvert: board and lodging.[8][2]
  3. À couvert (de): protected (from), under cover.[8]
  4. Sous le couvert de: under the name or the pretext of.[4][7]
  5. Everything set on the table for a meal;[8][2] mettre le couvert: to lay the table.[8][2]
  6. A place setting for one guest: une table de douze couverts.[8]
  7. Cutlery: knife, fork and spoon.[8][1]
  8. (slang) Remettre le couvert: to start again.[2][4]
  9. (Canada) A lid; the cover of a book.[4]

Usage notes

Clos et couvert is said of a dwelling that is well shut and well roofed.[7][10]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e 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 Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  5. ^ a b c 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, 1141b
  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 f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  9. ^ a b Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF
  10. ^ a b c d Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
Cite this entry

“Couvert.” Etymologically, 11 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/couvert. Accessed 12 Nov. 2026.

Last edited on . ·