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entier

Etymology and origin of the French word entier

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Inherited
First attested
c. 1130, Gormont et Isembart
Inherited from
Latin integer via Old French
Ultimate origin
Latin (tangō)
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin integer
French entier

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ɑ̃.tje/[1]

Forms

entier (feminine entière, masculine plural entiers, feminine plural entières)[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French entier, inherited from Latin integer (“untouched, intact; sound; upright”) (accusative “integrum”), formed from the negative in- and the root of tangō (“to touch”).[2][3][4][5][1][6] The expected outcome was “*entir”, attested in Old Picard; the ending “-ier” comes by analogy with adjectives such as premier.[2][3][4] The learned intègre is its doublet.[1][3]

Cognate with Italian intero, Spanish entero and Portuguese inteiro.[7][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

In Gormont et Isembart (about 1130) jorz entier is a whole day, a thing in its full extent; the Couronnement de Louis (about 1135) has sains et sals et entiers, unharmed, lacking nothing.[2][3]

Semantic evolution

In Chrétien de Troyes (1172) amors antiere is pure, unalloyed love, and in 1174–76 it meant loyal, faithful, a moral sense from Latin that lasted into the 16th century.[2][4] Cheval entier, an uncastrated horse, dates from 1580.[3] En son entier (1538) and en entier express totality, and, from 1606 a person who admits no compromise is entier.[3][2] In mathematics a nombre entier or un entier is a whole number, à part entière “fully fledged” is modern.[3][2]

Timeline

  • c. 1130 – Jorz entier, Gormont et Isembart.[2]
  • c. 1135 – “Lacking nothing”.[2]
  • 1155 – Entièrement.[3]
  • 1172 – “Pure”, Chrétien de Troyes.[2]
  • 1260 – Entériner.[4]
  • 1580 – Cheval entier.[3]
  • 1606 – “Uncompromising”, Nicot.[2]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. whole, entire: le monde entier, une heure entière, tout entier.[8][1]
  2. Intact, complete: le gâteau est encore entier, lait entier, whole milk.[7][1]
  3. Total, absolute: une entière confiance, à part entière, fully fledged.[8][3]
  4. Of a person, uncompromising, single-minded.[2][3]
  5. Of a horse, not castrated.[9][7]
  6. (mathematics) Nombre entier: an integer.[1][2]

Noun

  1. En entier, dans son entier: in full, entirely.[10][3]
  2. (mathematics) An integer.[1][10]

Word family

  • entièrement
  • entièreté
  • intègre
  • intégral
  • entériner
  • intact
  • Latin integer

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h 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 Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b c d e Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  5. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 4, 734a
  7. ^ a b c 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
  9. ^ Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  10. ^ a b Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Entier.” Etymologically, 18 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/entier. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

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