Etymologically
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couvrir

Etymology and origin of the French word couvrir

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Inherited
First attested
late 10th century, Passion de Clermont (covrir)
Inherited from
Latin cooperio via Old French
Ultimate origin
Latin (operiō)
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin cooperio
French couvrir
French recouvrir

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ku.vʁiʁ/[1]

Forms

couvrir[1] Old French covrir (about 980), cuvrir.[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French covrir, inherited from Latin cooperiō (“to cover completely; to overwhelm”), formed with the intensive co- and operiō (“to cover”) (see ouvrir).[4][2][5][6][7] The compound, with its stronger sense, replaced the simple verb in this meaning in all the Romance languages.[5][2]

Cognate with Italian coprire, Spanish cubrir and Old Occitan cobrir.[5][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Passion of Clermont (second half of the 10th century) it means to hide something by putting something over it, and to be spread abundantly over something.[4][2]

Semantic evolution

In Old French its basic idea of covering by laying something over took many applications according to the aim: to hide, to adorn, to protect.[2] Abstract hiding is in Chrétien de Troyes (por ma honte covrir, 1172), as is par moz coverz “in veiled words” (1176), the source of à mots couverts.[4][2] It meant to roof a house (1172), to protect (about 1165), to clothe (se couvrir, about 1230) and, of animals, to mate (1372); a sky se couvre from the 13th century.[4][2] Pascal has couvrir de gloire (1657).[4]

Later senses include drowning out a sound (1835), to back someone with one's authority (about 1475) and, in finance, to cover a sum (1793).[4][2] To cover a distance is found in 1905, and to report on an event in journalism is borrowed from English to cover.[8][2]

Timeline

  • Late 10th century – Passion of Clermont.[4]
  • c. 1100 – In the Chanson de Roland: Cuvert en sont li val et les montagnes.[3][4]
  • 1172 – To roof; to hide (figuratively), Chrétien de Troyes.[4]
  • c. 1230 – Se couvrir, to dress.[4]
  • 1372 – Of animals mating.[4]
  • 1793 – In finance, Beaumarchais.[4]
  • 1835 – To drown out a sound.[4]
  • 1905 – To cover a distance.[8]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To cover; to put something over or on: couvrir un plat, couvrir un toit d'ardoises, couvrir un livre.[9][10]
  2. To spread over, cover thickly: la neige couvre les champs, (figurative) couvrir de baisers, de honte.[9][4]
  3. To clothe, wrap up, se couvrir, to put on warm clothes or one's hat; of the sky, to cloud over.[2][3]
  4. To hide, mask; to drown out: le bruit couvrait sa voix.[4][2]
  5. To protect, shield; to cover for: couvrir un subordonné.[4][2]
  6. To make up, cover a sum, risk or expense: couvrir les frais.[4][2]
  7. To travel a distance; to span a period; to report on an event.[4][2]
  8. Of a male animal, to mate with.[4][2]

Word family

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ 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
  3. ^ a b c d Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s 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
  5. ^ a b c Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  6. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  7. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 2, 1140b
  8. ^ a b Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF
  9. ^ a b Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  10. ^ Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)

Derived terms

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Couvrir.” Etymologically, 18 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/couvrir. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·