entendre

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ɑ̃.tɑ̃dʁ/^[1]

Forms

entendre^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French entendre, inherited from Latin intendō (“to stretch towards; to direct (the mind) towards”), formed with in- from tendō (“to stretch”) (see tendre).^{[2][3][4][1][5]} In Christian Latin it meant “to pay attention to, understand; to want; to listen, hear”, and in Late Latin “to understand”.^[2][6]

Cognate with Catalan entendre (“to understand”), Spanish entender (“to understand”), Italian intendere (“to mean”) and Romanian întinde (“to stretch”); compare English intend.^[1][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found about 1050 in the Vie de saint Alexis in the sense “to perceive by hearing”.^[2][3]

Semantic evolution

In Old French the sense “to hear” was rare, because ouïr was the usual verb, entendre meant above all “to pay attention to” (entendre à, 1080) and “to obey” (about 1100).^[3][2][6] From about 1121 it also meant “to intend” (entendre que, 15th century, entendre with an infinitive, 1532), whence comme je l'entends (1549).^[3][2]

The sense “to understand”, found in the Chanson de Roland, was dominant until the 17th century.^[3][6] From the 16th century entendre replaced ouïr for “to hear”, and in the sense “to understand” it gave way to comprendre, surviving in phrases such as donner à entendre (1300), cela s'entend (1546), laisser entendre (1680) and bien entendu.^[6][3] The reflexive s'entendre meant “to agree” (1549) and “to get on together” (1636), and s'entendre comme larrons en foire dates from 1650.^[2][3] The phrase à double entendre is recorded in 1688.^[7]

Timeline

• c. 1050 – “To hear”, in the Vie de saint Alexis.^[2]
• 1080 – Entendre à “to pay attention to” and “to understand”, in the Chanson de Roland.^[3]
• c. 1121 – “To intend”, in the Voyage de saint Brendan.^[2]
• 1300 – Donner à entendre.^[3]
• 1549 – S'entendre “to agree”, in Robert Estienne.^[2]
• 16th century – Begins to replace ouïr “to hear”.^[6]
• 1636 – S'entendre “to get on”.^[3]
• 1680 – Laisser entendre.^[3]

Meanings

Verb

1. To hear: entendre un bruit, entendre dire que.^[1][2]
2. (literary) To listen to: entendre la messe; to hear (a witness).^[1][2]
3. (formal) To mean: Qu'entendez-vous par là ?^[1][2]
4. To intend, insist: J'entends être obéi.^[8][3]
5. (literary) To understand: donner à entendre, laisser entendre, to imply.^[3][8]
6. S'entendre: to agree; to get on well: Ils s'entendent bien.^[1][3]
7. S'y entendre: to be good at something.^[1]

Word family

• entendeur
• entendement
• entente
• malentendu
• sous-entendu

Related words

• tendre
• ouïr
• comprendre

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l 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 e f g h i j k l m n Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 4, 740b
6. ^ a b c d e Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
7. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
8. ^ a b Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert