nationalité

Forms

nationalité f (plural nationalités)^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from French national + -ité.^[2][1][3] The TLFi compares Spanish nacionalidad, recorded in the 17th century, and English nationality, recorded in 1691 for “national character”;^[2] Rey says the French word came after these two.^[4] National is a derivative of nation, from Latin nātiō (“birth, descent”), which comes from nātus (“born”).^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found before 1778 in Jean-Jacques Rousseau, in the sense “national feeling”: a people that scorns its nationalité is close to ruin.^[2][4][6]

Semantic evolution

Madame de Staël used it in 1807,^[2] and in 1808 it named the set of character traits that distinguish a nation.^[3][5] By 1833, in Michelet, it named a people's existence, or will to exist, as a nation.^[3] In 1835 Lamartine used it for the status of a person who belongs to a nation, a sense in which it replaced naturalité.^[2][4]

From 1845 it also named a group of people of the same nationality,^[2] and the principe des nationalités (1860), from the title of a book by M. Deloche, is the principle that such groups may form their own states.^[2][6][7] At sea it named, from 1859, the established origin of a ship.^[2][8]

Timeline

• Before 1778 – Rousseau uses it for “national feeling”.^[2][4]
• 1807 – Madame de Staël uses it in Corinne.^[2]
• 1808 – It names the traits that distinguish a nation.^[3][5]
• 1833 – Michelet uses it for a people's existence as a nation.^[3]
• 1835 – Lamartine uses it for a person's membership of a nation.^[2][4]
• 1845 – It names a group of people of the same nationality.^[2]
• 1859 – It is used at sea for the origin of a ship.^[2]
• 1860 – Principe des nationalités appears in a title by M. Deloche.^[2][6]

Meanings

Noun

1. The existence, or the will to exist, of a group as a nation, united by territory, language and traditions, and such a group itself: le principe des nationalités.^[7][2]
2. The legal status of a person who belongs to a given state, nationality: elle a demandé la nationalité belge.^[7][4]
3. (nautical) The established origin of a ship.^[2][8]
4. (dated) National character or national feeling.^[2][6]

Related words

• national
• nation
• nationalisme
• naturalité
• English nationality

References

1. ^ a b c 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 q 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 Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c d e f Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ a b c Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
6. ^ a b c d Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
7. ^ a b c 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