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envieux

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Etymology and origin of the French word envieux

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
c. 1119 Philippe de Thaon More words from the 12th century
Ultimate origin
Latin invidia
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
French envie
French envieux

Forms

envieux (feminine envieuse, masculine plural envieux, feminine plural envieuses)[1] Old French envios, envieus;[2][3][1] Philippe de Thaon has envidius about 1119.[2][3][1]

Etymology

It is formed from French envie + -eux on the model of Latin invidiōsus (“envious, jealous”).[2][4][3][1] The noun envie is from Latin invidia (“jealousy, hatred”).[5][3] The Grand Robert and the Petit Robert give the word as coming from the Latin adjective directly.[6][7] Bloch and Wartburg note the closer form invidius in the 12th century.[5]

Littré lists Old Occitan enveios, Catalan envejos, Spanish envidioso, Portuguese invejoso and Italian invidioso.[8]

Earliest recorded meaning

Philippe de Thaon has envidius about 1119.[3][7] The TLFi's first record is envïos in the poem Grant mal fist Adam (1120–1150), meaning one who resents another's good fortune.[2][4]

Semantic evolution

The idea of jealousy and greed for what others have dominates the word's uses.[4] About 1240 Guillaume de Lorris also used it for “eager, desirous”: de caroler … estoie envieus “I was eager to dance”.[3][8] From the mid-16th century classical French also used it for someone who grudgingly refuses what is wanted, “ill-willed”;[3] Littré calls Régnier's envieux sur in this sense an archaism.[8]

As a noun, un envieux is an envious person, and faire des envieux is to enjoy a good fortune that others resent.[7][3]

Timeline

  • c. 1119 – Philippe de Thaon writes envidius.[3]
  • 1120–1150 – Envïos appears in Grant mal fist Adam.[2][4]
  • late 12th century – The spellings envieus, envieux are found in the Châtelain de Coucy.[3]
  • c. 1240 – Guillaume de Lorris uses it for “desirous”.[3]
  • 15th century – The adverb envieusement is recorded.[2][4]
  • mid-16th century – Ronsard uses it for “grudging, ill-willed”.[3]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. envious: resentful of another's success, good fortune or possessions: envieux de la réussite de son frère.[2][7][1]
  2. Showing envy: un regard envieux.[7][8]
  3. (literary) desirous, eager to have or do something.[3][8]

Noun

  1. An envious person.[7][8]
  2. Faire des envieux: to arouse other people's envy.[7][3]

Word family

  • envieusement

Usage notes

In Old French manuscripts envieux, written enuieus, is not always easy to tell from ennuyeux, written the same way.[8]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g 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 Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  4. ^ a b c d e Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  5. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  6. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  8. ^ a b c d e f g Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Envieux.” Etymologically, 14 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/envieux. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

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