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encre

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Etymology and origin of the French word encre

Confidence
Established
Formation
Inherited
First attested
c. 1050 Vie de saint Alexis More words from the 11th century
Inherited from
Latin encautum via Old French
Ultimate origin
Ancient Greek ἔγκαυστον

Pronunciation

Forms

encre f (plural encres)[1] Old French enca (mid 11th century), enque and ancre (about 1160); Anglo-Norman also enke and enche.[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French enque, inherited from Late Latin encautum (“purple ink reserved for the emperor”), also encaustum, later “red ink” and then “ink”.[2][5][3][6] This is the neuter used as a noun of encaustus (“painted in encaustic”), borrowed from Ancient Greek ἔγκαυστον (énkauston, “encaustic painting”), a word of the family of καίω (kaíō, “to burn”) (see encaustique).[2][5][1]

The Late Latin of northern Gaul kept the Greek stress on the first vowel, which explains the French form, whereas Old Occitan encaust and Italian inchiostro go back to the form stressed on the second syllable.[2][7][5] The /r/ appeared later, in ancre about 1160.[2][5] English ink comes from the French word.[7]

The classical word for black ink was Latin ātrāmentum, which gave Old French arrement, used until the 16th century; tincta gave Spanish tinta.[7][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found as enca in the mid-11th-century Vie de saint Alexis, meaning “ink”.[2][8]

Semantic evolution

As in Latin, encre is a black or coloured liquid for writing, and the usual black colour gave several phrases: noir comme de l'encre, se faire un sang d'encre “to worry greatly”, c'est la bouteille à l'encre “it is an obscure, insoluble question”.[5]

As ink became a symbol of writing, from 1585 the word also meant “a manner of writing” in phrases such as écrire de sa meilleure encre and faire couler beaucoup d'encre.[5] Encre de la Chine (1721) became the set phrase encre de Chine (1836).[5] In 1870 the word was applied to the black liquid that some cephalopods release.[5][8]

Timeline

  • Mid 11th century – Enca appears in the Vie de saint Alexis.[2][8]
  • c. 1160 – The form ancre appears in the Roman d'Enéas.[2]
  • 1380 – The derivative encrier “inkwell” is recorded.[7][5]
  • 1530 – The verb encrer is recorded.[7][5]
  • 1585 – It is used for “a manner of writing”.[5]
  • 1694 – The Académie records écrire de bonne encre.[9]
  • 1721 – Encre de la Chine is recorded.[5]
  • 1836 – The set phrase encre de Chine appears.[5]
  • 1870 – Larousse records the sense “cephalopod ink”.[5][8]

Meanings

Noun

  1. Ink: a black or coloured liquid used for writing, drawing or printing.[10][2][1]
  2. Encre d'imprimerie: printing ink.[10][11]
  3. Encre de Chine: India ink.[8][5]
  4. The dark liquid released by cephalopods such as the cuttlefish.[5][8]
  5. (figurative) A manner of writing: écrire de sa meilleure encre.[5]

Word family

  • encrer
  • encrier
  • encrage
  • encreur

Usage notes

Il n'y a plus d'encre dans le cornet (1656) was said of a man who could no longer make love.[5]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i 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 Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 3, 224b
  7. ^ a b c d e Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  8. ^ a b c d e f Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  9. ^ Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF
  10. ^ a b Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  11. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Encre.” Etymologically, 11 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/encre. Accessed 12 Nov. 2026.

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