Etymologically
Log in

double

Etymology and origin of the French word double

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Inherited
First attested
late 10th century, Passion de Clermont (dobpla)
Inherited from
Latin duplus via Old French
Ultimate origin
Latin (duo)
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin duplus
French double

Pronunciation

Forms

double (adjective, plural doubles); double m (noun)[1] Old French dobpla (late 10th century, feminine), duble (11th century), doble.[2][3][4]

Etymology

The adjective is inherited from Old French doble, inherited from Latin duplus (“twice as large, double”), and the noun continues its neuter duplum (“twice as much”).[2][3][5][4][6] The Latin adjective is formed on duo (“two”) (see deux); most of its senses are shared by duplex (see duplex).[3][4] Littré took the second element to represent plicō (“to fold”).[7]

Cognate with Italian doppio, Old Occitan doble, Catalan doble, Spanish doble and Portuguese dobro.[5][8][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Passion of Clermont-Ferrand (late 10th century) has dobpla corda “double cord”, in the sense “repeated twice, twice as much”.[2][3]

Semantic evolution

Guillaume le Clerc's Bestiaire (about 1210) has home doble “a deceitful man”, and Pascal (1657–62) double sens, a thing with two aspects of which only one appears.[2][3] From the end of the 16th century it also expresses intensity: double bière (1551), Molière's double bourreau (1655).[2][3]

As a noun it is first the quantity twice another (about 1150), with au double (about 1170) and en double (1461).[2] It named a coin (1340; compare doublon), a fold of cloth (late 14th century, Froissart) and a copy of a document (1406); later an understudy in the theatre (1771), a person's spirit double (Balzac, 1831) and an alter ego (1832).[2][3] Jouer à quitte ou double dates from about 1465 and the tennis doubles from 1929, double-aveugle (about 1965) is a calque of English double-blind.[2][3]

Timeline

  • Late 10th century – Dobpla, Passion of Clermont.[2]
  • c. 1150 – The noun “twice as much”.[2]
  • c. 1210 – “Deceitful”, Guillaume le Clerc.[2]
  • 1340 – A coin.[2]
  • 1406 – “Copy”, Nicolas de Baye.[2]
  • 1461 – En double.[2]
  • c. 1465 – Jouer à quitte et à double.[2]
  • 1657–62 – Double sens, Pascal.[2]
  • 1771 – Understudy in the theatre.[2]
  • 1832 – “Alter ego”, Balzac.[2]
  • 1929 – Doubles in tennis.[2]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. double, twice as much or as large; repeated twice, made of two like parts: double nœud, fermer à double tour, en double exemplaire.[9][10]
  2. Having two aspects or uses: à double sens, à double tranchant, mener une double vie.[9][1]
  3. (figurative) Two-faced, agent double, double agent, jouer double jeu.[2][1]

Noun

  1. Twice the amount: coûter le double, en double, in duplicate.[9][1]
  2. A copy, duplicate: le double d'une clé.[2][1]
  3. A person's lookalike, alter ego; an understudy.[2][3]
  4. (tennis) Doubles.[2][3]
  5. Quitte ou double: double or quits.[2][1]

Adverb

  1. Twice, doubly: voir double.[3][9]

Word family

  • doubler
  • doublement
  • doublure
  • doublon
  • dédoubler
  • redoubler

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g 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 r s t u v w x 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 i j k Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b c Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  5. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 3, 185a
  7. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  8. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
  9. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  10. ^ Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Double.” Etymologically, 18 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/double. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·