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Etymology and origin of the French word itération

Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
1488 La Mer des hystoires More words from the 15th century
Borrowed from
Latin iteratio
Ultimate origin
Latin iterō
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin iterum
Latin iterō
Latin iterātiō
English iteration
French itération
From the same root
Latin reiterō ← iterō

Pronunciation

  • /i.te.ʁa.sjɔ̃/[1]

Forms

itération f (plural itérations)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin iterātiō (“repetition”), from iterātum, the supine of iterō (“to repeat”).[2][3][4][5] Littré compares Spanish iteración and Italian iterazione.[6] The modern senses were taken again in the 20th century from English iteration.[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found in 1488 in La Mer des hystoires, meaning “repetition”.[2][3][5]

Semantic evolution

The word stayed rare: Richelet noted in 1680 that it was not in use and that réitération was said instead.[2] Littré still gives it as the action of iterating.[6]

In mathematics the Grand Robert dates the sense of solving an equation by successive approximations to 1677,[3] while the DHLF says the word reappeared through English in 1924, in mathematics, and was later used in psychiatry and computing.[5] In computing it is a method of repeated calculation run as a loop.[2][7]

Timeline

  • 1488 – Iteration “repetition” appears in La Mer des hystoires.[2][5]
  • 1677 – The Grand Robert's first date for the mathematical sense.[3]
  • 1680 – Richelet says the word is not in use.[2]
  • 1924 – The mathematical sense is taken again from English.[5]
  • 1975 – Méthode d'itération is recorded in computing.[2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. (formal) Repetition, the act of doing something again.[8][2][9]
  2. (mathematics) A method of solving an equation by successive approximations.[8][3][7]
  3. (computing) One pass through a loop of a program, or a repeated calculation that loops until a condition is met.[7][9][2]
  4. (psychiatry) Involuntary and pointless repetition of the same movement or utterance.[8][7]

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i 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 Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ 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 Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  6. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  7. ^ a b c d Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)
  8. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  9. ^ a b Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Itération.” Etymologically, 15 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/it%C3%A9ration. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

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