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dossard

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Etymology and origin of the French word dossard

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1904 Petiot More words from the 20th century
Ultimate origin
Latin dorsum
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
French dos
French dossard
From the same root
French dossier ← dos

Pronunciation

Forms

dossard m (plural dossards)[1]

Etymology

It is formed from French dos + -ard.[2][3][1][4] The Petit Robert adds that it was made after brassard.[5] Dos goes back to Latin dorsum (“back”).[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Grand Robert and Rey date it to 1904, in Petiot;[3][6] the GLLF finds it in a Larousse of 1909,[7] and the TLFi in the 20th-century Larousse of 1929.[2] From the start it named the numbered square of cloth worn on the back by competitors in a race.[6][2]

Semantic evolution

It is a much more recent derivative of dos than the others and has been used only in sport.[6] The cloth bearing the competitor's number is worn on the back and, by extension, often on the chest as well.[2][8] In Quebec French it also names a coloured overshirt worn to show which team a player belongs to.[1]

Timeline

  • 1904 – First record, in Petiot.[3][6]
  • 1909 – Recorded by Larousse.[7]
  • 1929 – Recorded in the Larousse du XXe siècle.[2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. (sports) A bib: a square of cloth bearing a competitor's number, worn on the back and sometimes on the chest: le coureur épingle son dossard.[2][5][9]
  2. (Quebec) A pinny, a coloured overshirt marking a player's team.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f 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 Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 3, 144b
  5. ^ a b Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  6. ^ a b c d Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  7. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  8. ^ Académie française (1992–2024), Dictionnaire de l'Académie française, 9th ed., Paris: Académie française / Fayard / Imprimerie nationale
  9. ^ Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
Cite this entry

“Dossard.” Etymologically, 14 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/dossard. Accessed 14 Nov. 2026.

Last edited on . ·