Etymology and origin of the French word jus
- Confidence
- Established
- Formation
- Inherited
- First attested
- c. 1165 Guillaume d'Angleterre More words from the 12th century
- Inherited from
- Latin ius via Old French
- Ultimate origin
- Latin iūs
From the same root
Forms
jus m (invariable)[1] Anglo-Norman also jous, juis and juz.[2]
Etymology
It is inherited from Old French jus, inherited from Latin iūs (“juice, sauce, broth”).[3][4][5][1][6] Rey traces the Latin word to an Indo-European word for a dish of meat cooked in a sauce, also attested in Sanskrit.[4] The Latin word survived only in Occitan and French.[4] Littré reports Curtius's suggestion that the Latin words for “broth” and “law” may share one origin.[7]
Earliest recorded meaning
Guillaume d'Angleterre (about 1165), attributed to Chrétien de Troyes, uses it for the juice pressed from a fruit.[3][4] The Anglo-Norman word is recorded in the first third of the 12th century.[2]
Semantic evolution
From 1538 it also named the juices of cooked meat.[3][4] Jus de la vigne (1564) and jus de la treille (1690) are names for wine.[8] In both main senses jus de followed by the fruit is now more usual than jus alone, except in the French of Madagascar, where jus is any soft drink.[4]
Many familiar senses appeared in the late 19th century: water (1884), poor coffee (1894) and the electric current (1918), after the acid water of batteries (1914).[4][3] Cuire dans son jus (1866) meant to be very hot, or to be stuck in a bad situation.[4] The soldiers of 1914 said premier jus and deuxième jus for privates of the first and second class.[4][3] Avoir du jus meant to be elegant (1866), and ça vaut le jus (1883) “it's worth it”; the sense “profit from a deal” (1867) is linked to juteux.[3][4]
Timeline
- c. 1165 – Guillaume d'Angleterre uses it for fruit juice.[3][4]
- 1538 – Robert Estienne records it for meat juices.[3][4]
- 1564 – Thierry records jus de la vigne “wine”.[8]
- 1828 – Mérimée writes avoir du jus de navet dans les veines “to be spineless”.[3]
- 1866 – Delvau records avoir du jus “to be elegant”.[3]
- 1867 – Delvau records it for the profit of a deal.[3][4]
- 1883 – Ça vaut le jus is recorded.[3][4]
- 1884 – It means “water”.[3][9]
- 1895 – Esnault records it for black coffee.[3]
- 1918 – It means the electric current;[3] premier jus is recorded in soldiers' slang.[3]
Meanings
Noun
- Juice pressed or extracted from a fruit or vegetable: jus de pomme, jus de fruits.[9][3][1]
- The juices of cooked meat, gravy;[9][8] laisser quelqu'un cuire dans son jus, to leave someone to stew;[9][8] dans son jus, in its original state.[9][8]
- (popular) Coffee;[9][1] jus de chaussette, bad coffee.[9][1]
- (familiar) Water: au jus !.[9]
- (familiar) Electric current: un coup de jus.[9][1]
- (familiar, dated) A speech or a school essay.[9][1]
- (military slang) Premier jus, deuxième jus: a private of the first or second class.[9][4]
- Ça vaut le jus: it is worth it.[9][4]
Word family
- juteux
- verjus
- court-jus
Related words
- juter
- Latin iūs
Usage notes
The Grand Robert lists a second, learned jus pronounced /ʒys/, recorded from 1890 and taken from Latin iūs (“law”), used in Roman law and legal history for what is lawful, as in jus gentium.[10]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
- ^ a b Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q 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
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
- ^ Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
- ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 5, 83b
- ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
- ^ a b c d e Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
- ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
Related etymologies
Cite this entry
“Jus.” Etymologically, 11 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/jus. Accessed 12 Nov. 2026.
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