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fond

Etymology and origin of the French word fond

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Inherited
First attested
c. 1100, Chanson de Roland
Inherited from
Latin fundus via Old French
Ultimate origin
Latin (fundus)
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin fundus
French fond
English fund

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /fɔ̃/[1]

Forms

fond m (plural fonds)[1] Old French funz (1080), fonz, fons, font, fond with the etymological ⟨d⟩ about 1280–1360.[2][3] Fond and fonds are two spellings of one word, given separate senses from the 17th century.[2][4][3][5]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French fonz, inherited from Latin fundus (“bottom; farm, estate”),[6][2][5][7] through a popular neuter “*fundus, *fundoris”, which explains why Old French “fonz” was invariable like “corps” and “temps”.[5][2] The Latin word is related to Old High German bodam (“ground”), Sanskrit बुध्न (budhná, “bottom, base”) and Ancient Greek πυθμήν (puthmḗn, “bottom”), though no single Indo-European root can be set up;[2][8] the Petit Robert compares English bottom and German Boden.[9]

Cognate with Italian fondo, Old Occitan fons, Catalan fons, Spanish fondo, Portuguese fundo and Romanian fund.[9][5] English fund (1670s) is from “fond”.[10]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Chanson de Roland (about 1100) has Envers les funz s'en turnerent alquant, some sank towards the bottom of the Ebro.[6][8]

Semantic evolution

From the lowest part of something hollow and the bed of a sea or river, fond came to mean depth of water (1531) and the underground part of a mine (1872).[2][6] About 1190 it was the furthest part of a place, whence le fin fond de (Montaigne, 1580), the back of a stage (1543) and the seat of trousers (le font de ses braies, Joinville, 1306).[6][2] Chrétien de Troyes (1176) already has ne trueve fonz ne rive, no limit.[6]

Figuratively it is the innermost, true part: del funz de son cuer (about 1200), au fond “really” (1585), à fond (Pascal, 1656) and dans le fond (1657).[6][2] As a base it gave fond de lit (about 1280), the background of a picture (1547), faire fond sur “to rely on” (1657), le fond de l'air (1800) and fond de teint (1910).[6][2] In law and letters the fond is the substance as opposed to the form (1585, 1657), in sport endurance (course de fond, 1863), and à fond de train (1872) is “flat out”.[6][2]

Timeline

  • c. 1100 – Funz in the Chanson de Roland.[6]
  • 1176 – “Limit”, in Chrétien de Troyes.[6]
  • c. 1190 – The back of a place.[6]
  • c. 1200 – Del funz de son cuer.[6]
  • c. 1280 – The spelling with ⟨d⟩.[2]
  • 1547 – Background of a picture.[6]
  • 1585 – Au fond “in reality”.[6]
  • 1656 – À fond in Pascal.[6]
  • 1670s – English fund.[10]
  • 1872 – À fond de train.[2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. The bottom: le fond d'un verre, le fond de la mer, toucher le fond.[9][1]
  2. The back, far end: au fond de la salle, le fin fond de.[1][2]
  3. The heart, essence; content as opposed to form: le fond du problème, au fond, dans le fond: basically.[1][2]
  4. The background: fond sonore, toile de fond, fond d'écran.[1][6]
  5. (cooking) A stock, base: fond de sauce.[1][2]
  6. (sport) Long-distance, endurance: course de fond, ski de fond.[6][11]
  7. À fond: thoroughly; flat out: à fond de train, de fond en comble: from top to bottom.[2][1]

Word family

  • foncer
  • foncé
  • arrière-fond
  • bas-fond
  • défoncer
  • enfoncer
  • plafond
  • tréfonds
  • fondrière
  • approfondir
  • profond
  • effondrer

Usage notes

In de fond en comble the final d is pronounced, a phonetic survival.[6][8] The spelling fonds is now kept for the senses “land, capital, stock” (fonds de commerce), though the two are still confused, especially in figurative senses.[2][5]

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 m n o p q Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  3. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  4. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  5. ^ a b c d e Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r 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
  7. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 3, 870a
  8. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  9. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  10. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  11. ^ Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF

Borrowed into

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Fond.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/fond. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

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