fournir

Pronunciation

• IPA: /fuʁ.niʁ/^[1]

Forms

fournir^[1] Old French furnir (1119), fornir (about 1130); fournir from the 13th century.^[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French furnir, inherited from Frankish *frumjan (“to carry out, accomplish”).^[2][3][5][6] Compare Old High German frumman “to accomplish”, Old Saxon frummian and German frommen (“to be of use”).^[3][5] Old Occitan formir and an Old Tuscan cognate continue the Germanic form directly;^[5][2][4] French and Italian fornire replaced ⟨m⟩ with ⟨n⟩ under the influence of garnir, of very similar meaning.^[5][2][4]

Pierre Guiraud proposed instead a popular derivative of Latin fōrmō (“to shape”), meaning “to complete a form” with the accessories it needs.^[2][7] Littré reports an older derivation from Latin furnus (“oven”).^[8] The Old French verb also gave English furnish.^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

In Philippe de Thaon's Comput (1119) furnir means to complete, to add what is needed so that nothing is lacking.^[3][2]

Semantic evolution

From “to complete” came “to carry out, produce” (about 1160, Eneas), and the Old French texts use it for founding a city and forming an army.^[3][4] In the same years it took its main modern sense, to deliver or provide (about 1160), and to supply someone with something (1174–76).^[3] Fournir à, to provide for something, is found about 1377.^[3]

The old sense “to complete” lasted into the classical period, as in fournir la carrière (1671), to run the whole course.^[4][3] At cards fournir means to follow suit (1865, Littré).^[4][1] The participle fourni means well stocked (1611) and, of hair or woods, thick (1690).^[3] Derivatives include fourniture (1306), fournisseur (1415) and fourniment (1260).^[5]

Timeline

• 1119 – Furnir “to complete” in Philippe de Thaon.^[3]
• c. 1160 – “To deliver, procure”, in Eneas.^[3]
• 1174–76 – “To supply”, in Guernes de Pont-Sainte-Maxence.^[3]
• 1306 – The noun fourniture.^[5]
• 1415 – Fournisseur.^[5]
• 1538 – Estienne: fournir de qqc..^[3]
• 1671 – Fournir la carrière.^[4]

Meanings

Verb

1. To supply, provide (someone) with what is needed: fournir un restaurant en vins, se fournir chez un commerçant.^[9][1]
2. To give, provide (something to someone): fournir le vivre et le couvert.^[9][1]
3. To produce, put in (an effort, a piece of work): fournir un effort.^[9][1]
4. To present (a document, a proof): fournir des preuves.^[9]
5. (card games) To follow suit.^[1][4]
6. Fournir à: to provide for, meet (expenses, needs).^[3][9]

Word family

• fournisseur
• fourniture
• fourniment

Related words

• garnir
• English furnish

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 Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n 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
4. ^ a b c d e f g h Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
5. ^ 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
6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 15/2, 182b
7. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
8. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
9. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert