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gloire

Etymology and origin of the French word gloire

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
c. 1050, Vie de saint Alexis, glorie
Borrowed from
Latin gloria
Ultimate origin
Latin (glōria)
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin gloria
French gloire

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ɡlwaʁ/[1]

Forms

gloire f (plural gloires)[1] Old French glorie (about 1050), gloire (1080), glore.[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin glōria (“renown, good reputation; in Church Latin, the majesty of God, heavenly bliss”).[5][2][6][3][1][7] Littré notes that “glorie” was only a spelling recalling the Latin, the word being pronounced in two syllables.[4] Compare Spanish gloria and Italian gloria.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Vie de saint Alexis (about 1050) uses glorie for heavenly bliss.[5][2][3]

Semantic evolution

After the religious sense came, from classical Latin, the sense “renown, fame” (Wace, 1130–1140), and also from it “splendour, magnificence” (about 1160) and “honour”, very common in the 17th century and now archaic; they remain in se faire gloire de (1611) and travailler pour la gloire (1872), “to work for nothing”.[5][2] Vaine gloire (late 12th century) is vanity.[5][2] By metonymy une gloire is a famous person (1638–1639, Rotrou; already la gloire des Thébains in 1565).[5][2][8]

In painting gloire is the halo surrounding the body of Christ (1622), and then a painted sky opening onto the heavens.[5][2][6] Être parti pour la gloire meant to be tipsy (1867).[2]

Timeline

  • c. 1050 – Glorie, heavenly bliss (Alexis).[5][2]
  • 1080 – The form gloire (Roland).[3][9]
  • 1130–1140 – Renown, fame (Wace).[5][2]
  • c. 1160 – Splendour (Enéas).[5][2]
  • late 12th century – Vaine glorie, vanity.[5]
  • 1622 – A halo in painting.[5][2]
  • 1639 – A famous person (Rotrou).[5][2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. Glory, great renown: au sommet de sa gloire.[10][1]
  2. A source of pride; a famous person: ce poète est la gloire de son temps.[11][5]
  3. (religion) The majesty of God; heavenly bliss: gloire à Dieu.[9][5]
  4. (art) A halo or radiance around Christ; a painted heavenly sky.[5][6]
  5. Pour la gloire: for nothing, unpaid.[2][10]

Word family

  • gloriette

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  3. ^ a b c d Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o 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
  6. ^ a b c Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  7. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 4, 164a
  8. ^ Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF
  9. ^ a b 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 de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Gloire.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/gloire. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

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