Etymologically
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enfuir

Etymology and origin of the French word enfuir

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Compound
First attested
c. 1050, Vie de saint Alexis
Ultimate origin
Latin (fugio)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ɑ̃.fɥiʁ/[1]
  • IPA (Belgium): /ɑ̃.fwiʁ/[1]

Forms

enfuir[1]

Etymology

It is a compound of the adverbial pronoun en “from there” and fuir “to flee”: the old construction “s’en fuir” “to flee from there” came to be written as one word.[2][3][4][5] The simple verb continues Latin fugiō (“to flee”).[5][6]

The same compound gave Occitan enfugir.[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Vie de saint Alexis (about 1050) has s'en fuit de la ciptét “he flees from the city”.[5] In the Chanson de Roland the parts are still separable: fuït s'en est Marsiles “Marsile has fled”.[7]

Semantic evolution

As with fuir, its senses go from “to run away, escape” to things that pass and vanish, such as time and life.[8] Robert Estienne records it in 1549 for a liquid leaking from a vessel, a use now taken by fuir;[2] Furetière (1690) has the figurative “to pass, disappear”, said of time.[2] In Anglo-Norman enfuir meant “to flee” and “to disappear, vanish”; a separate Anglo-Norman enfuir meant “to bury”.[9]

Timeline

  • c. 1050 – S'en fuir, in the Vie de saint Alexis.[5]
  • 1080 – S'enfuit, in the Chanson de Roland.[3][2]
  • 1549 – Of a liquid leaking out, in Robert Estienne.[2]
  • 1690 – Of time, “to slip away”, in Furetière.[2]

Meanings

Verb

  1. (pronominal) S'enfuir: to flee, run away, escape: le prisonnier s'est enfui par le toit.[4][1]
  2. (pronominal, figurative) Of time, a feeling or a dream, to slip away, vanish.[2][8]
  3. (pronominal, dated) Of a liquid, to leak out (now fuir).[2]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  3. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  5. ^ 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
  6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 3, 837b
  7. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  8. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  9. ^ Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)
Cite this entry

“Enfuir.” Etymologically, 18 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/enfuir. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

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