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négligé

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Etymology and origin of the French word négligé

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1640 Oudin More words from the 17th century
Ultimate origin
Latin neglegō
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
French négliger
French négligé
English negligee
From the same root
French négligeable ← négliger

Pronunciation

  • /ne.ɡli.ʒe/[1]

Forms

négligé m (plural négligés)[1]

Etymology

It is the past participle from French négliger (“to neglect”), used as an adjective from 1640 and as a noun from 1648.[2][3][4] The verb was borrowed in 1256 from Latin neglegō (“to disregard, not heed”).[3][1]

The English word negligee (1750) comes from the feminine form négligée.[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The adjective is first recorded in Oudin's dictionary in 1640, of a person who is not dressed up and appears without any effort at adornment.[4][2]

Semantic evolution

The participle soon became a noun (1648) for a person dressed without care, and then for the careless state of dress itself, which the Grand Robert records from 1687.[2][6] By 1789 un négligé was also the light garment a woman wore at home, in private.[7][2] The English negligee, recorded from 1750, is a loose gown of this kind.[5]

The adjective was applied to a loosely written style from 1671 (Mme de Sévigné) and 1674 (Boileau), and more generally to anything not given the care it deserves, such as a neglected illness.[2][4][8] The look of carelessness, which classical taste disliked, was valued in the 18th century with the aesthetics of the natural: Rey dates beau négligé to 1762.[2]

Timeline

  • 1640 – Oudin records négligé as an adjective for a person not dressed up.[4][2]
  • 1648 – The participle is used as a noun of a carelessly dressed person.[2]
  • 1671 – Mme de Sévigné writes of a style négligé.[4]
  • 1687 – Le négligé names a careless state of dress.[6][7]
  • 1750 – The English word negligee is first recorded.[5]
  • 1762 – Beau négligé shows the new value given to an unstudied look.[2]
  • 1789 – Négligé is used of a light garment women wear at home.[7]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Not given the care or attention it needs: un devoir négligé, une blessure négligée.[7][9][8]
  2. Of a person, untidy or slovenly in dress or appearance.[7][10][1]
  3. Receiving less attention than one should: un ami négligé.[7][4]

Noun

  1. A careless, unstudied state of dress, often pejorative.[7][11]
  2. (literary or dated) A light garment worn by a woman at home, a negligee.[7][11][1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  3. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  4. ^ a b c d e f Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  5. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  6. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  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 Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  9. ^ 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
  10. ^ Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)
  11. ^ a b Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
Cite this entry

“Négligé.” Etymologically, 14 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/n%C3%A9glig%C3%A9. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

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