Etymologically
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durant

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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]

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