Etymologically
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lointain

Etymology and origin of the French word lointain

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Inherited
First attested
c. 1140, Pèlerinage de Charlemagne
Inherited from
Latin *longitanus via Old French
Ultimate origin
Latin (longē)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /lwɛ̃.tɛ̃/[1]

Forms

lointain (feminine lointaine, masculine plural lointains, feminine plural lointaines)[1] Old French loingtien, loingtaine.[2][1][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French loingtien, inherited from Vulgar Latin *longitānus (“far off”),[2][4][5][6][7][1] also required by the Italian and Catalan forms, a derivative of longē (“far”) (see loin), perhaps on the model of *subitānus, which gave soudain.[2][4][5]

Cognate with Italian lontano, Old Occitan lonhdan and Catalan llunyà.[8][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Pèlerinage de Charlemagne (about 1140) has un lointain reialme, “a faraway realm”;[2][4] Gaimar uses it of a person who lives or comes from far away about the same time.[2][4]

Semantic evolution

It referred to time from about 1160 (Eneas, molt lointaing äage).[2][4] From lointain degré de lignage (Beaumanoir, 1283) it developed the abstract sense “vague, indirect” (Alain Chartier, 1422), and Rousseau (1762) uses it for what comes from far away.[2][4] Since the early 20th century it has described a distant, absent look or manner.[4][9]

As a noun it meant a distant land in Wace (1155), an isolated use; it was taken up in painting, chiefly as les lointains (1640), and passed into general use (La Fontaine, 1685, en lointain); its temporal sense as a noun came late (1863).[2][4]

Timeline

  • c. 1140 – Un lointain reialme, Pèlerinage de Charlemagne.[2]
  • 1155 – As a noun “distant land”, Wace.[2]
  • c. 1160 – Of time, Eneas.[2]
  • 1283 – Loingtien degré de lignage, Beaumanoir.[2]
  • 1640 – Les lointains in painting.[2]
  • 1685 – En lointain, La Fontaine.[2]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. distant, remote, far-off in space: un pays lointain, rumeur lointaine.[10][1]
  2. Far off in time.[2][9]
  3. Indirect, not close: les causes lointaines de la Révolution.[10][4]
  4. Of a person, a look: distant, absent: avoir l'air lointain.[10][4]

Noun

  1. Le lointain: the distance: dans le lointain, (painting) the background, les lointains.[2][4][1]

Word family

  • lointainement

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 o p 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 Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k 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. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 5, 406a
  8. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
  9. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  10. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Lointain.” Etymologically, 18 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/lointain. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

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