Etymologically
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kilomètre

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Pronunciation

  • IPA (Belgium): /ki.lɔ.mɛːtʁ/[1]
  • IPA (France): /ki.lɔ.mɛtʁ/[1]
  • IPA (Canada): /ki.lɔ.maɛ̯tʁ/[1]
  • IPA (Canada): /kʰi.lɔ.ˈmae̯tʁ̥/[1]

Forms

kilomètre m (plural kilomètres)[1]

Etymology

It is formed from French kilo- + mètre, one of the names coined for the metric system.[2][3][1] Kilo- was taken from Ancient Greek χίλιοι (khílioi, “thousand”),[1] and mètre was borrowed in 1791 from Ancient Greek μέτρον (métron, “measure”).[2][4] Purists of the 19th century objected that the Greek element should have kept the full Greek stem;[5] Wiktionary records the variants chiliomètre and chilomètre.[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

The law of 18 Germinal year III (1795) defines it as the unit of a thousand metres;[2][6] the Robert dictionaries date the word to 1790.[3][7]

Semantic evolution

It gradually replaced the traditional names of distances, such as the lieue, and won out with modern transport.[5] Victor Hugo still called it part of “l'affreuse langue que la loi veut nous faire”.[6] From it came kilomètre à l'heure and kilomètre-heure for speed, the familiar manger or bouffer du kilomètre “to drive on and on” (1888), and statistical units such as kilomètre-voyageur.[5][7] In athletics le kilomètre was a race distance by 1898;[8] the kilomètre lancé is a speed event in skiing.[9][7]

Timeline

  • 1790 – The word is coined.[3][5]
  • 1795 – Defined in the law of 18 Germinal year III.[2]
  • 1811 – The derivative kilométrique.[5]
  • 1835 – Recorded by the Académie.[2]
  • 1888 – Manger du kilomètre.[5]
  • 1898 – A race distance in athletics.[8]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A unit of distance of a thousand metres (symbol km): faire cinq kilomètres à pied.[7][9]
  2. Kilomètre à l'heure, kilomètre-heure: a unit of speed (km/h).[7][9]
  3. Kilomètre carré: a square kilometre, a million square metres.[7][6]
  4. (familiar, hyperbole) A great length: des kilomètres de rayonnages.[2]
  5. Transport over one kilometre, as a unit of cost or statistics: le prix du kilomètre.[7]
  6. (sport) Kilomètre lancé: a timed speed event in skiing.[9][7]
  • kilométrique
  • kilométrage
  • mètre
  • kilo-

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f 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 Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ 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, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  6. ^ a b c Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  8. ^ a b Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF
  9. ^ a b c d Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)