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hors

Etymology and origin of the French word hors

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
mid-11th century, Vie de saint Alexis (hors de)
Ultimate origin
Latin (forīs)

Pronunciation

Forms

hors[1]

Etymology

It is taken from dehors, from Late Latin dēforīs (“from outside”), from Latin forīs (“outside, out of doors”).[2][3][4][5][6] Between vowels the “f” of “deforis” regularly disappeared, giving “deors”, which took an “h” in emphatic exclamations; the “h” then spread to “hors”.[4] “Hors” long coexisted with its variant fors, from Latin “foris”, which went out of use in the 17th century except as a prefix (“forcené”, “forfait”).[3][4] Littré saw “hors” simply as a form of “fors” with “f” turned into “h”.[7]

Compare Italian fuori and Spanish fuera.[4][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Vie de saint Alexis (mid-11th century) has hors del sacrarie, “out of the sanctuary”: hors de, “outside”.[2][3]

Semantic evolution

As an adverb meaning “outside” (aller hors, about 1135) it is now obsolete, Jean de Meun's metre hors “to exclude” (1269–78) is figurative.[2][3] The bare preposition (hors la ville, mid-12th century, hors veie “aside”, 1174–76) is archaic except in set phrases: hors-la-loi, hors jeu, hors série, hors pair, hors taxes.[3][2][5] Corneille (1640) has hors de meaning “except”, and Molière hors que “unless” (1666).[2]

Hors de soi “beside oneself” goes back to hors dou sens “out of one's mind” (Adam de la Halle, about 1276).[2] Belgian French has hors prix where France says hors de prix.[3]

Timeline

  • mid-11th century – Hors de, Vie de saint Alexis.[2]
  • c. 1135 – Adverb “outside”, Couronnement de Louis.[2]
  • c. 1276 – Hors dou sens.[2]
  • 13th century – The compound hormis.[4]
  • 17th century – Hors-d'œuvre.[4]
  • 1666 – Hors que, Molière.[2]

Meanings

Preposition

  1. Hors de: outside, out of: hors de la ville, hors de danger, hors d'usage, hors de prix.[5][3]
  2. Hors de soi: beside oneself (with anger).[5][2]
  3. (literary) except, apart from: hors lui.[1][8]
  4. In set phrases, outside, beyond: hors jeu, hors série, hors pair, hors taxes, hors service.[5][8]

Word family

  • hormis
  • hors-bord
  • hors-d'œuvre
  • hors-jeu
  • hors-la-loi
  • hors-série

References

  1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k 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 e f g Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b c d e f Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  5. ^ a b c d e f Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 3, 701b
  7. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  8. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
Cite this entry

“Hors.” Etymologically, 18 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/hors. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

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