Etymologically
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immeuble

Etymology and origin of the French word immeuble

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
c. 1200, Dialogues de saint Grégoire
Borrowed from
Latin immobilis
Ultimate origin
Latin (mobilis)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /i.mœbl/[1]

Forms

immeuble m (plural immeubles)[1] Immoble (about 1200), biens immobles (1258); immeuble after meuble, in possessions immeubles (1475).[2][3]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin immōbilis (“immovable”), with its form adapted to meuble.[2][4][5][1] The Latin adjective is formed from in- (“not”) and mōbilis (“movable”).[2][6] The legal sense was taken from Medieval Latin, where the Latin adjective had it by 1162.[2][4][5] Wiktionary notes that the two adjectives formed a recurring pair in legal Latin; immobile is a later learned doublet.[1]

Provençal had Old Occitan immoble.[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Dialogues de saint Grégoire (about 1200) have immoble in the Latin sense “motionless”, now kept for immobile.[2][4]

Semantic evolution

From 1258 biens immobles are immovable goods in law, immeubles from 1475; as a noun (1319) it named land and buildings, a sense later taken over by immobilier.[2][4]

By the same narrowing that turned meuble into “furniture”, immeuble came to mean a large house (1835, Balzac's letters), then a building with several storeys;[4][2][8] Littré did not yet have this sense.[4][2][8]

Timeline

  • c. 1200 – Immoble “motionless”.[2]
  • 1258 – Biens immobles, real property.[2][4]
  • 1319 – As a noun, “a piece of real property”.[2]
  • 1475 – Possessions immeubles.[2]
  • 1835 – A house, in Balzac's letters.[2][4]
  • 1846 – A building.[2][8]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A building, especially a block of flats or offices with several storeys: un immeuble de cinq étages.[8][1]
  2. (law) A piece of real property, land or a building.[8][1]

Adjective

  1. (law) Immovable: biens immeubles.[8][3]
  • immobilier
  • meuble
  • immobile
  • Latin immōbilis

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ 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
  3. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  5. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  6. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  7. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  8. ^ a b c d e f Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Immeuble.” Etymologically, 18 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/immeuble. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

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