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endroit

Etymology and origin of the French word endroit

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Compound
First attested
1121–1134, Philippe de Thaon (endreit)
Ultimate origin
Latin (in,directus)
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
French en
French ensuite
French envers
French endroit
French enfin
French lendemain
French enlever

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ɑ̃.dʁwa/[1]

Forms

endroit m (plural endroits)[1] Old French endreit, androit, Chifflet noted the pronunciation endret as old-fashioned.[2][3]

Etymology

It is the Old French adverb endreit (“exactly, precisely”) used as a noun; the adverb was formed from French en + droit (“straight; exactly”), and also served as a preposition meaning “near, at the time when”.[2][4][5][6] Bloch and Wartburg note the preposition, in the sense “towards”, in use until the 16th century.[7] “Droit” continues Latin dīrēctus (“straight”).[7] Wiktionary traces the phrase to Latin in “directum” and compares Occitan endrech and Catalan indret.[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

As a noun it is first found in Philippe de Thaon's Bestiaire (1121–1134), meaning a particular place.[2][4] The adverb is older: the Vie de saint Alexis (about 1050) has Dunc le menat andreit suz le degret (“then he led him right under the stairs”).[2]

Semantic evolution

About 1170 Chrétien de Troyes uses it for the side of a thing meant to be seen, opposed to envers; in 1176 it meant a respect or point of view, which survives in à l'endroit de “towards (someone)” (before 1188).[2][4] By 1200 it named a part of a thing, such as a part of the body, and Du Bellay (1549) uses it for a passage of a book.[2][4] In the 17th century it took on a time sense, “moment” (Madame de Sévigné, 1675).[4][5]

The Académie recorded the sense “the place where one lives” in 1798, and par endroits “here and there” dates from 1869.[2][4] The euphemism le petit endroit for the toilet appears in 1773.[8]

Timeline

  • c. 1050 – The adverb andreit in the Vie de saint Alexis.[2]
  • 1121–1134 – The noun, “place”, in Philippe de Thaon.[2]
  • c. 1170 – The right side of a thing, in Chrétien de Troyes.[2]
  • before 1188 – À l'endroit de “towards”.[2]
  • 1549 – A passage of a text, in Du Bellay.[2]
  • 1675 – “Moment”, in Madame de Sévigné.[4]
  • 1773 – L'endroit for the toilet.[8]
  • 1798 – A locality, in the Académie's dictionary.[2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A place, spot: un endroit tranquille, au même endroit.[9][10]
  2. A locality, village: les gens de l'endroit.[9][5]
  3. A part of a thing or of the body: à quel endroit avez-vous mal ?.[11][9]
  4. A passage of a book or play: rire aux bons endroits.[11]
  5. An aspect, a point: toucher l'endroit sensible.[11]
  6. The right side of a fabric or object, as opposed to the reverse, à l'endroit, right side out.[11][3]
  7. (familiar) Le petit endroit: the toilet.[9][10]
  8. Par endroits: here and there, à l'endroit de: towards, regarding.[4]

References

  1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m 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 Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  5. ^ a b c Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 3, 88b
  7. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  8. ^ a b Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF
  9. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  10. ^ a b Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)
  11. ^ a b c d Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
Cite this entry

“Endroit.” Etymologically, 18 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/endroit. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

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