Etymologically
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eux

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Etymology

It is inherited from Old French els, inherited from Latin illōs, the accusative masculine plural of ille (“that”).[1][2][3][4][5] It is the stressed form corresponding to ils, and the plural of lui.[1][6]

Bloch and Wartburg note that “eux” is the usual form in northern Gallo-Romance dialects, “els” (Old Occitan “els”) in the south, and “leur” in the Franco-Provençal area.[3] Cognate with Spanish ellos.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The 10th-century Fragment de Valenciennes has eus and els: E de cel peril que super els metreiet “and of that danger that he would bring upon them”.[7][4]

Semantic evolution

At first eux was only an object pronoun after a preposition; from the 16th century it also served as a stressed subject (eux refuseront) and as an emphatic form in apposition (ils le savent bien, eux).[1][3][4] In Canadian French eux autres is used, on the model of nous autres, vous autres.[1][7]

Timeline

  • c. 980 – Eus, els in the Fragment de Valenciennes.[4][7]
  • c. 1100 – Li quels d'els deuz in the Chanson de Roland.[7]
  • 14th century – The spelling eux.[4]
  • 16th century – Used as a stressed subject.[1][3]

Meanings

Pronoun

  1. them, after a preposition: avec eux, chez eux, l'un d'eux.[6][8]
  2. They, as a stressed subject: eux ont refusé.[8][6]
  3. For emphasis: ils le savent bien, eux, eux-mêmes, themselves.[6][4]
  4. (Canada) Eux autres: they, them.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  2. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  3. ^ a b c d e Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  4. ^ a b c d e f 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. 4, 551a
  6. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  7. ^ a b c d Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  8. ^ a b Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)