Etymologically
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doucement

Etymology and origin of the French word doucement

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
late 10th century, Passion de Clermont (dulcement)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /dus.mɑ̃/[1]

Forms

doucement[1] Old French dulcement (late 10th century, 1080), doucement from the 12th century, Middle French doulcement.[2][3][1]

Etymology

It is derived from the feminine of doux, “douce”, with the adverbial suffix -ment.[2][4][5][1] “Doux” is from Latin dulcis (“sweet”).[5]

Compare Old Occitan dolzament, Portuguese docemente and Italian dolcemente.[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Passion de Clermont (late 10th century) has tan dulcement; in the Chanson de Roland (1080) it means “gently, kindly”: vers Franceis humbles est dulcement.[2][3][5]

Semantic evolution

By 1273 it meant “with gentle gestures” and “quietly, without noise”.[3] Montaigne (1580) uses it for slowly, little by little, and Molière (1661) for “in secret, to oneself”: je me suis doucement esquivé sans rien dire.[3][6] The exclamation doucement! “easy now!” and the familiar aller tout doucement “to be so-so” are later, Littré records the latter in 1864.[3][7]

Timeline

  • Late 10th century – Dulcement, Passion de Clermont.[2]
  • 1080 – “Kindly”, Chanson de Roland.[3]
  • 1273 – “Gently; quietly”, Adenet le Roi.[3]
  • 1580 – “Gradually”, Montaigne.[3]
  • 1661 – “Secretly”, Molière.[3]

Meanings

Adverb

  1. gently, softly: frapper doucement à la porte.[6][1]
  2. Quietly: parler doucement, marcher doucement.[1][3]
  3. Slowly: rouler doucement; gradually: la route descend doucement.[6][8]
  4. Kindly, without harshness: reprendre quelqu'un doucement.[6][5]
  5. (familiar) So-so: les affaires vont doucement.[6][7]
  6. (interjection) Doucement!: easy!, steady on![7]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d 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 Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  4. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  5. ^ a b c d e Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  6. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  7. ^ a b c Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
  8. ^ Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)
Cite this entry

“Doucement.” Etymologically, 18 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/doucement. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

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