derrière

Pronunciation

• IPA: /dɛ.ʁjɛʁ/^[1]
• IPA: /de.ʁjɛʁ/^[1]

Forms

derrière^[1] Old French derere, then deriere and derrière; also derrier, deriers (about 1278).^[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French deriere, inherited from Late Latin dēretrō (“behind”), the welding of “dē retrō”, from dē, marking the point of departure, and retrō (“backwards, behind”).^[3][2][5][6] The doubled ⟨rr⟩ is due to the influence of Old French derrain (“last”) (see dernier).^[3][5][7] “Dēretrō” replaced classical Latin post, which survived only as an adverb of time and gave French the learned prefix “post-”; in French “derrière” displaced the simple riere, from “retrō”, usual until the 15th century.^[2][7]

Cognate with Italian dietro, Old Occitan dereire and Catalan darrera.^[7][8][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found in the Chanson de Roland (about 1100), as a preposition, Sa rereguarde lerrat derere sei “he will leave his rearguard behind him”, and as an adverb.^[3][2]

Semantic evolution

Par derrière “from behind” is in Chrétien de Troyes (1174–1187), and figuratively “behind one's back” in Jean de Meun (about 1278).^[3][2] The figurative “sheltered by” appears about 1625 (Agrippa d'Aubigné), and the time sense “after” in Victor Hugo (1823, derrière la mort).^[3][2]

Used as a noun, le derrière arose in a military context (about 1230); from the 18th century les derrières of an army were the ground behind it.^[2][5] The noun names the back of a thing (the Petit Robert dates it 1459) and the backside, the buttocks.^[9][1]

Timeline

• c. 1100 – Derere in the Chanson de Roland.^[3]
• 1174–1187 – Par derriere in Chrétien de Troyes.^[3]
• c. 1230 – First use as a noun.^[5][2]
• c. 1278 – Par deriers “behind someone's back”, in Jean de Meun.^[3][2]
• c. 1625 – “Sheltered by”, in Agrippa d'Aubigné.^[3]
• 1823 – Derrière la mort in Victor Hugo.^[3]

Meanings

Preposition

1. behind, at the back of: derrière la maison.^[9][1]
2. (figurative) Behind, hidden by; responsible for: qui est derrière tout ça ?^[1][4]
3. After, following: laisser quelqu'un derrière soi.^[4]

Adverb

1. Behind, at the back: passer derrière, par-derrière, from behind, behind someone's back.^[9][3]

Noun

1. The back or rear part of something: le derrière d'une maison.^[9][1]
2. The backside, buttocks.^[9][1]
3. (dated, plural) The rear of an army: assurer ses derrières.^[9]

Related words

• arrière
• dernier
• rétro-

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l 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
4. ^ a b c Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
5. ^ a b c d 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. 3, 47a
7. ^ a b c Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
8. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
9. ^ a b c d e f Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert