Etymologically
Log in

exister

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 17 October 2026 at 21:25. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ɛɡ.zis.te/[1]

Forms

exister[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin ex(s)istere (“to step out, emerge; to appear”),[2][3][4][5] formed from ex- (“out of”) and sistō (“to be placed, set”), from the Indo-European root “*sta-” “to stand” of Latin stō (“to stand”) (see ester).[3][6][7]

English exist (about 1600) comes from French “exister”.[8]

Earliest recorded meaning

Pierre Cochon's Chronique (15th century, Bloch and Wartburg date the verb to 1425) has moy existent en l'ostel de la Pierre, being present at that house;[2][4][7] the Théologie naturelle of Raymond Sebond (second half of the 16th century) uses it of the body of Christ existant in place of the bread.[2]

Semantic evolution

The verb seems to have been rare before the 17th century.[3][6][4] It meant “to be, have reality” and, with a complement, “to be found somewhere” (after 1550), whence the impersonal il existe.[3][9] In 1760 Voltaire used it for “to live”, often implying consciousness, and in the strong sense “to matter, count” (exister pour qqn).[2][3] Ça n'existe pas “that's nonsense” is recorded in 1920.[9]

The noun existence (1330) long remained philosophical, existentiel (Bergson, 1907) and existentialisme (1925, spread about 1945 with Sartre) followed.[3][4]

Timeline

  • 1330 – Existence.[3]
  • 1425 – Exister.[4]
  • 1560 – Coexistence.[3]
  • c. 1600 – English exist.[8]
  • 1745 – Coexister.[4]
  • 1760 – “To live” in Voltaire.[2]
  • 1784 – Inexistant.[4]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To exist, have reality: le bonheur existe-t-il ?, cette coutume existe encore.[10][11]
  2. Il existe: there is, there are: il existe plusieurs solutions.[9][7]
  3. To live, be alive: aussi longtemps qu'il a existé.[9][7]
  4. To matter, count: il n'existe pas pour moi.[3][10]

Word family

  • inexistant
  • inexistence
  • coexister
  • coexistence
  • existence
  • existant
  • existentiel
  • existentialisme

Usage notes

The infinitive is also a philosophical noun, l'exister, the concrete existence of a being (20th century).[6][3]

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e 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 Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  5. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 3, 298b
  6. ^ a b c Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, 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 Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  9. ^ a b c d Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  10. ^ a b Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  11. ^ Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)