fiduciaire

Forms

fiduciaire (plural fiduciaires)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin fīdūciārius (“entrusted as a deposit, provisional”), which in Late Latin became a legal term.^[2][3][4] The Latin adjective is derived from fīdūcia (“trust, confidence”) and, in its legal use, from fīdus (“trustworthy”), itself from fīdō (“to trust”).^[3][5] Littré traces the family further to fidēs (“faith”), the source of foi.^[5]

The English word fiduciary was taken directly from the Latin adjective in the 1640s.^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

The TLFi's first record is from 1593, in a legal text on the practice of Mesver (cited by Huguet from a 1603 edition), where nécessité fiduciaire means an obligation resting on a clause of trust.^[2] The Grand Robert, the GLLF and the Petit Robert date the word from Hulsius's dictionary of 1596.^[7][8][9]

Semantic evolution

At first a term of law, fiduciaire qualified whatever had to do with the fiducie, the transfer of property in trust; the phrase héritier fiduciaire, an heir charged with handing a bequest on to another, is recorded in 1596 and still survives.^[3][2] The Petit Robert dates the adverb fiduciairement to 1839.^[9]

In the 19th century political economy applied the word to values that rest only on the confidence placed in whoever issues them: Littré records monnaie fiduciaire “paper money” in 1865, and circulation fiduciaire is found by 1890.^[2][3][8] Valéry extended it, before 1945, to anything founded on trust or convention.^[8] In modern use une fiduciaire (for société fiduciaire) is a firm that handles the accounts and administration of other companies,^[9][10] and in Switzerland the noun also names an intermediary acting in trust for clients.^[11]

Timeline

• 1593 – Nécessité fiduciaire appears in a legal treatise, the first record.^[2]
• 1596 – Hulsius records héritier fiduciaire.^[2][8]
• 1839 – First record of the adverb fiduciairement.^[9]
• 1865 – Littré records monnaie fiduciaire in economics.^[2][8]
• 1872 – Larousse records titres fiduciaires.^[8]
• 1890 – Circulation fiduciaire appears in the Dictionnaire général.^[8]
• before 1945 – Valéry uses it of anything founded on trust.^[8]

Meanings

Adjective

1. (law) Relating to a fiducie or a fidéicommis: contrat fiduciaire.^[2][8]
2. Héritier fiduciaire: an heir charged with handing property on to another under a trust.^[9][5]
3. (economics) Of values: resting only on the confidence placed in their issuer, fiduciary: monnaie fiduciaire (banknotes, token coins), circulation fiduciaire.^[9][11][10]
4. Société fiduciaire: a firm that keeps the accounts and handles the administration of other companies.^[9][10]

Noun

1. (law) A trustee, the person charged with restoring property under a trust.^[9][1]
2. (feminine) A trust company, a société fiduciaire.^[9][1]
3. (Switzerland) An intermediary who handles trust operations for clients.^[11]

Word family

• fiduciairement

Related words

• fiducie
• fidéicommis
• foi
• Latin fīdūciārius
• English fiduciary

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h 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 Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
5. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
6. ^ Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
7. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
8. ^ a b c d e f g h i Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
9. ^ a b c d e f g h i Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
10. ^ a b c Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)
11. ^ a b c Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)