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moyen

Etymology and origin of the French word moyen

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Inherited
First attested
early 12th century, Oxford Psalter
Inherited from
Latin medianus via Old French
Ultimate origin
Latin (medius)
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin medianus
French moyen

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /mwa.jɛ̃/[1]

Forms

moyen m (plural moyens)[1] Old French meien (about 1120), moien (about 1175); moyen from the early 14th century.[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French meien, inherited from Latin mediānus (“of the middle”),[4][3][5][6] an imperial Latin derivative of medius (“middle”).[4][5] The Petit Robert traces “medius” to the Indo-European root also seen in Ancient Greek μέσος (mésos), German Mitte and English middle.[7] It is a doublet of the borrowing médian.[3][1]

Cognate with Italian mezzano, Occitan mejan, Catalan mitjà, Spanish mediano and Portuguese meão.[7][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Oxford Psalter (first half of the 12th century) has meiens clergiez, and the Cambridge Psalter mëens termes for Latin medios terminos: “in the middle”.[4][3]

Semantic evolution

About 1260 the adjective took the sense “between two extremes”: moien aage “middle age” and moiennes gens “people of middle rank”;[4][3] classe moyenne followed in 1815.[4] From 1273 it meant “ordinary, of the usual kind”, and the pejorative “mediocre” appears in the 19th century (1837, Balzac).[4][3] The mathematical nombres moyens is in Oresme (1377), and the grammatical verbes moyens (middle voice) dates from 1655.[4] It was used of intermediate stages of languages (moyen allemand, 1827), and moyen âge “Middle Ages” (1626) adapts Renaissance Latin media aetas.[4][5]

The adjective used as a noun gave moyen “means”, from about 1370: that which serves to reach an end, trouver moyen de, moyen de transport (1813).[3][2] The plural moyens meant “resources, wealth” from 1500 and “abilities” from 1580 (par ses propres moyens).[3] In Quebec, un moyen … can ironically mean “an extraordinary …”.[3][1]

Timeline

  • Early 12th century – Meiens in the Oxford Psalter.[4]
  • c. 1260 – Moien aage, moiennes gens.[4]
  • c. 1370 – The noun “means”.[3]
  • 1377 – Nombres moiens in Oresme.[4]
  • 1500 – Moyens “resources”.[3]
  • 1626 – Moyen âge.[5]
  • 1815 – Classe moyenne.[4]
  • 1837 – “Mediocre”, in Balzac.[4]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Middle, intermediate in position, size or degree: de taille moyenne, cours moyen.[8][9]
  2. Average, ordinary; calculated as an average: le Français moyen, température moyenne.[2][1]
  3. Mediocre, only fair.[4][10]
  4. (grammar) Of the middle voice.[4][11]
  5. (Quebec, informal) Big, remarkable.[1][3]

Noun

  1. A means, method or way: la fin justifie les moyens, au moyen de: by means of.[7][1]
  2. (in the plural) Financial means; abilities: vivre au-dessus de ses moyens, perdre ses moyens.[3][1]

Word family

  • moyennement
  • moyenner
  • meneau
  • moyenne
  • Moyen Âge
  • moyennant
  • médiocre
  • mi-
  • moitié
  • médian
  • milieu
  • Latin medius
  • English mean

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ 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
  5. ^ a b c d e Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 6/1, 578a
  7. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  8. ^ Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)
  9. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  10. ^ Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
  11. ^ Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Moyen.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/moyen. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

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