Etymologically
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fond

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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. Fond and fonds are two spellings of one word, given separate senses from the 17th century.[2][3][4][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 Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  3. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  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