Etymologically
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intérêt

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ɛ̃.te.ʁɛ/[1]

Forms

intérêt m (plural intérêts)[1] Old French interest, intérêt from the 16th century.[2]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin interest (“it matters; there is a difference”), the impersonal third person singular of intersum (“to be between; to take part in; to matter”), used as a noun meaning “what matters”.[3][4][5][6][7] The Latin verb is from inter (“between”) and sum (“to be”) (see être).[4] In Medieval Latin the noun “interesse” meant compensation for a broken contract and interest on a loan (about 1200), usury being first seen as compensation for the income the lender could have had.[4] Littré notes that the other Romance languages took the word from the infinitive, as Italian interesse, Spanish interés and Old Occitan interesse, while French took the third person.[8]

Earliest recorded meaning

A document of 1290 from Besançon uses it for damage, harm; the Grand Robert dates it to 1251.[3][6]

Semantic evolution

The sense “harm” lasted until the 17th century and lives on in dommages et intérêts (1343, dampmages et interes), compensation for harm (1377).[4][3] Littré remarked how easily the word passed between damage and compensation, whence the profit from money lent (1462).[8][3] In 1445 it meant being concerned by something, in 1467 what matters to someone, and, from 1640 self-interest.[3] Montaigne (1580) uses it for the attention given to a person, Madame de Sévigné (1675) for attention to what captivates the mind, and the Académie (1740) for the quality of a thing that holds attention.[3] A share in a business is recorded by Furetière (1690).[3]

Timeline

  • 1290 – Damage, harm.[3]
  • 1343 – Dampmages et interes.[3]
  • 1377 – Compensation.[3]
  • 1462 – Interest on a loan.[3]
  • 1467 – What matters to someone, Chastellain.[3]
  • 1580 – Interest taken in someone, Montaigne.[3]
  • 1640 – Self-interest.[3]
  • 1740 – The interest of a thing, Académie.[3]

Meanings

Noun

  1. interest, attention, curiosity: écouter avec intérêt, porter de l'intérêt à.[1][3]
  2. The quality of being interesting: un livre sans intérêt.[3][1]
  3. What is to someone's advantage: dans l'intérêt de tous, l'intérêt général, avoir intérêt à.[1][3]
  4. Self-interest: agir par intérêt.[3]
  5. (finance) Interest on money: taux d'intérêt, prêter à intérêt.[1][3]
  6. A share, stake in a business: avoir des intérêts dans une société.[3]
  7. (law) Dommages et intérêts: damages.[3][6]

Word family

  • intéresser
  • désintéresser
  • désintéressement
  • coïntéressé

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v 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 Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  5. ^ Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  6. ^ a b c Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  7. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 4, 752b
  8. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette