lors

Pronunciation

• IPA: /lɔʁ/^[1]

Forms

lors^[1] Old French lur (about 1100), lores (1119) and lors (about 1135).^[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French lores, inherited from Late Latin illā hōrā (“at that hour”), an ablative of time made of illa (“that”) and hōra (“hour”) (compare heure);^{[3][4][5][1][6]} its development parallels that of or “now”.^[4] The diphthong /ao/ passed through /au/ to /o/; the final ⟨e⟩ was lost because the word is unstressed, and an adverbial ⟨s⟩ was added.^[3] Littré instead took it from Old French l'ore “the hour”.^[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Chanson de Roland (about 1100) has lur “then, at that moment”.^[2][3]

Semantic evolution

In the 17th century lors used alone almost went out of use in favour of alors, a compound found from 1250 but rare until the 15th century.^[3][4] It survives in fixed phrases: the preposition lors de (1599), which Vaugelas thought inelegant; the adverbs dès lors (1225–1230, Guillaume de Lorris; causal from 1798), pour lors (14th century, “in that case” in La Bruyère, 1688) and depuis lors (1677); and the conjunctions dès lors que (Chrétien de Troyes, 1176–1181), lors que (about 1200) and lors même que (Fléchier, 1675).^[2][3][8]

From lors que came lorsque (1454), long written separately; its /s/ came to be pronounced only late (lorke in 1632).^[3][4]

Timeline

• c. 1100 – Lur in the Chanson de Roland.^[2]
• 1119 – Lores, in Philippe de Thaon.^[2]
• c. 1135 – Lors.^[2]
• 1176–1181 – Des lores que, in Chrétien de Troyes.^[2]
• 1225–1230 – Dès lors.^[2]
• 1454 – Lorsque.^[3]
• 1599 – Lors de.^[2]
• 1677 – Depuis lors.^[8]
• 1688 – Pour lors “in that case”, in La Bruyère.^[2]

Meanings

Adverb

1. (archaic) Then, at that time.^[9][1]
2. Lors de: at the time of, during: lors de son mariage.^[9]
3. Depuis lors: since then, dès lors: from then on, and consequently, pour lors: at that time, and in that case.^[9][2][8]
4. Dès lors que: since, given that, lors même que: even if.^[9][8]

Word family

• alors
• lorsque

Related words

• heure
• or

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k 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 f g h Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c d Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
5. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 4, 475a
7. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
8. ^ a b c d Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
9. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert