Etymologically
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ennemi

Etymology and origin of the French word ennemi

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Inherited
First attested
c. 880, Sequence of Saint Eulalia
Ultimate origin
Latin (amīcus)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ɛn.mi/[1]
  • IPA: /ɛ.nə.mi/[1]
  • IPA: /e.nə.mi/[1]
  • IPA: /ɑ̃.nə.mi/[1]

Forms

ennemi (feminine ennemie, masculine plural ennemis, feminine plural ennemies)[1] Inimi (about 880), Old French enemi (1080), anemi, ennemi from the early 13th century.[2][3][4] In Chifflet's time (17th century) the pronunciation annemi was still accepted beside the other.[5]

Etymology

It is an adaptation of Latin inimīcus (“personal enemy”),[6][2][7][8] formed from “in-” “not” and Latin amīcus (“friend”) (see ami), as opposed to “hostis” “public enemy” (see hostile).[2][4] In Christian Latin “inimicus” named the devil.[6][2] Bloch and Wartburg explain its learned treatment by its use in the language of the Church.[7]

Cognate with Italian nemico, Old Occitan enemic, Catalan enemic, Spanish enemigo and Portuguese inimigo.[2][5][9]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Sequence of Saint Eulalia (about 880) has li Deo inimi, the enemies of God, the pagans who wished to overcome the saint.[6][3][5]

Semantic evolution

Like Latin inimicus it first meant a personal enemy, one who seeks to harm another, and, from the Chanson de Roland (1080) also those one is at war with; the collective l'ennemi dates from 1549 (Robert Estienne), and the adjective pays ennemi from 1564.[2][6][3] In the Middle Ages l'Ennemi was the devil (about 980), later l'ennemi du genre humain (1607).[2]

From the 16th century the sense weakened to what is contrary or harmful (ennemi de, Montaigne, 1580, couleurs ennemies, 1752).[6][2] Later phrases include autant de pris sur l'ennemi (Furetière, 1690, Hébert, 1793), ennemi de l'État (1694) and ennemi public (Zola, 1901), with ennemi public numéro un translated from American English.[10][2] The Anglo-Norman enemi corresponds to English enemy.[11]

Timeline

  • c. 880 – Inimi in the Sequence of Saint Eulalia.[6]
  • c. 980 – “The devil”, in the Vie de saint Léger.[3]
  • 1080 – Enemi “enemy in war”, in the Chanson de Roland.[6]
  • 1549 – L'ennemi collectively.[3]
  • 1564 – Pays ennemi.[2]
  • 1580 – “Contrary to”, in Montaigne.[6]
  • 1690 – Autant de pris sur l'ennemi.[10]
  • 1901 – Ennemi public.[2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. An enemy, foe: son pire ennemi, ennemi juré, se faire des ennemis.[12][1]
  2. The enemy (in war): passer à l'ennemi.[3][12]
  3. An opponent (of an idea): un ennemi du progrès, ennemi public.[12][13]
  4. L'Ennemi: the devil.[3][2]
  5. Autant de pris sur l'ennemi: that's something gained anyway.[10][2]

Adjective

  1. Hostile, enemy: l'armée ennemie, pays ennemi.[2][1]
  2. Ennemi de: opposed to, averse to.[6][12]

Word family

  • inimitié

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  4. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  5. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  6. ^ 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
  7. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  8. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 4, 693b
  9. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
  10. ^ a b c Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF
  11. ^ Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)
  12. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  13. ^ Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)
Cite this entry

“Ennemi.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/ennemi. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·