maintenant

Pronunciation

• IPA: /mɛ̃t.nɑ̃/^[1]
• IPA: /mɛ̃.tə.nɑ̃/^[1]

Forms

maintenant^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French maintenant, which the TLFi and Rey trace to Latin manū tenendō (“while holding in the hand”), the gerund of “manū tenēre” (see maintenir); the Grand Robert, the GLLF and Littré treat it as the present participle of “maintenir” used as an adverb.^{[2][3][4][5][6][7]} From the idea of holding something in the hand came that of quickness or, more probably, of extreme nearness in space, and then of nearness in time, hence “at once”.^[2][3] Old French expressed the same idea with “manois”, “demanois” and “main à main”, and modern French still has “en un tour de main”.^[2][3]

Littré compares Old Occitan mantenent, Spanish “mantiniente” and Italian “mantenente”.^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found about 1135 in the Couronnement de Louis, in de maintenant “at once”.^[2][3]

Semantic evolution

De maintenant and sempres maintenant (about 1165) were used before maintenant alone, which meant “at once, in a moment” in Chrétien de Troyes (1165–1170).^[2][3] The modern sense “now, at present” appears about 1200 and spread in the 16th century, ousting or in this sense, maintenant que, formerly “as soon as” (1176–1181), took its modern value “now that” in 1572.^[3][2][8] From 1230 the word could also refer to a moment just past, and dès maintenant “from now on” dates from 1538.^[2][3] At the head of a sentence, marking a pause or a reservation (“that said”), it is a 20th-century use.^[3]

Timeline

• c. 1135 – De maintenant “at once”, in the Couronnement de Louis.^[2]
• 1165–1170 – Maintenant “at once”, in Chrétien de Troyes's Érec et Énide.^[2]
• c. 1200 – “Now, at present”.^[2][3]
• 1230 – “A moment ago”.^[2]
• 1538 – Dès maintenant.^[2]
• 1572 – Maintenant que “now that”, in Amyot.^[2]
• 16th century – Replaces or “now”.^[3][8]

Meanings

Adverb

1. Now, at the present time: C'est maintenant ou jamais.^[9][1]
2. Now, then, in a narrative in the past: Ses yeux, maintenant, ne me quittaient plus.^[5][9]
3. Dès maintenant, à partir de maintenant: from now on.^[9][2]
4. Maintenant que: now that.^[2][3]
5. At the head of a sentence: that said, mind you.^[3]

Related words

• maintenir
• main

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 l m n o 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 i j k l Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
6. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
7. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 6/1, 298b
8. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
9. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert