Etymologically
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enterrer

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 18 October 2026 at 14:22. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ɑ̃.tɛ.ʁe/[1]
  • IPA: /ɑ̃.te.ʁe/[1]
  • IPA (Louisiana): /ɑ̃.te.re/[1]

Forms

enterrer[1]

Etymology

It is from French en- + terre + -er.[2][3][4][5] Wiktionary instead traces it to Vulgar Latin *interrō (“to put into the earth”), from terra (“earth”).[1] Cognate with Occitan enterrar, Spanish enterrar and Italian interrare;[6][1] English inter is from the same Latin source.[6][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Chanson de Roland (about 1100) it means to bury the body of a dead person, and to attend the burial: A grant honor pois les unt enterrez.[2][6]

Semantic evolution

The Pèlerinage de Charlemagne (about 1140) has it for putting anything in the ground and covering it with earth.[2] Richelet (1680) records the sense “to shut away in a dull, dreary place”, and Furetière (1690) “to bury under a heap”.[2][4]

The Académie recorded il nous enterrera tous, “he will outlive us all”, in 1718, and Littré (1864) the joke about a doctor who enterre ses malades.[4] Figuratively it means to put an end to something or let it drop (enterrer un scandale); enterrer sa vie de garçon is to celebrate one's last night as a bachelor.[4][1]

Timeline

  • c. 1100 – “To bury (the dead)”, in the Chanson de Roland.[2]
  • c. 1140 – “To put in the ground”, in the Pèlerinage de Charlemagne.[2]
  • 12th century – The derivative enterrement.[7]
  • 1680 – “To shut away”, in Richelet.[2]
  • 1690 – “To bury under a heap”, in Furetière.[2]
  • 1718 – “To outlive”, in the Académie.[4]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To bury (a dead person); to attend the funeral of: il est mort et enterré.[8][9]
  2. Il nous enterrera tous: he will outlive us all.[8][4]
  3. To put in the ground, bury: enterrer un trésor.[3][10]
  4. (figurative) To drop, shelve, hush up: enterrer un projet, enterrer un scandale.[4][1]
  5. Enterrer sa vie de garçon: to have a stag party.[1][4]
  6. S'enterrer: to bury oneself away from the world.[1][2]

Word family

  • enterrement
  • déterrer

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k 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. ^ 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
  5. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 13/1, 249b
  6. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  7. ^ Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  8. ^ a b Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  9. ^ Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)
  10. ^ Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)