durant

Pronunciation

• IPA: /dy.ʁɑ̃/^[1]

Forms

durant (invariable)^[1]

Etymology

It is from French durer + -ant, the present participle of the verb “to last”.^[2][3][4][5] It was first the verb of a participial clause, generally placed after its noun (“le mariage durant” “while the marriage lasted”, 13th century); once placed before the noun, after the Latin ablative absolute of legal language, it was felt as a preposition.^[2][3] pendant went through the same change.^[2]

It matches Old Occitan durant, Spanish durante and Italian durante.^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Étienne Boileau's Livre des métiers (1260) has durant ledit terme “during the said term”.^[2]

Semantic evolution

The postposed construction is in Beaumanoir (about 1283: le mariage durant) and Froissart (ce temps durant), and it survives in a few phrases such as sa vie durant and des heures durant, where it keeps the value of a participle.^[5][6][7] Placed before the noun it is common from the 16th century (durant le chemin, Montaigne).^[4][5]

The conjunction durant que “while” (15th century, Amyot, Corneille) is now very literary in France but ordinary in Quebec, where it is used where European French says pendant que.^[6][3]

Timeline

• 1260 – Durant ledit terme, in Étienne Boileau.^[2]
• c. 1283 – Le mariage durant, in Beaumanoir.^[6][5]
• 15th century – Durant que “while”.^[6]
• 16th century – Regularly placed before the noun.^[4][7]

Meanings

Preposition

1. During, throughout: durant la nuit, durant l'été.^[7][1]
2. (after the noun) For the whole of: parler une heure durant, sa vie durant.^[7][6]
3. Durant que: while (literary in France; ordinary in Quebec).^[6][3]

Related words

• durer
• durée
• pendant

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e 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 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 c d e Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
6. ^ a b c d e f Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
7. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert