Etymologically
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offrir

Etymology and origin of the French word offrir

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Inherited
First attested
c. 1112, Voyage de saint Brendan
Inherited from
Latin *offerio via Old French
Ultimate origin
Latin (ferō)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ɔ.fʁiʁ/[1]

Forms

offrir[1] Old French ofrir, offrir, Anglo-Norman offrir.[1][2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French ofrir, inherited from Late Latin *offeriō, an altered form of classical Latin offerō (“to bring before, present, offer”), from ob- (“before”) and ferō (“to carry”).[3][4][1][5] Bloch and Wartburg call it a Frenchified form of the Latin, older than the first texts.[6]

Compare Italian offrire, Catalan oferir and Spanish ofrecer.[6][7][8]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found in the early 12th century in the Voyage de saint Brendan, meaning “to propose or present something to someone, putting it at their disposal”.[9][3]

Semantic evolution

About 1140 it meant “to make an offering to God”, a religious sense still alive.[9][3] The reflexive s'offrir “to offer oneself” is from about 1165, s'offrir à + infinitive from the end of the 12th century.[9] Said of a woman, s'offrir meant to declare her love (1561) and later to be ready to give herself (1865).[9][3] Offrir le combat and offrir sa fille à quelqu'un are recorded in 1690, offrir son nom in 1854.[9] The legal au plus offrant dates from 1365, and offre from 1155.[6] The modern s'offrir quelque chose “to treat oneself” is common.[1]

Timeline

  • c. 1112 – In the Voyage de saint Brendan.[3][9]
  • c. 1140 – “To make an offering to God”.[9]
  • 1155 – Offre.[6]
  • c. 1165 – S'offrir.[9]
  • 1365 – Au plus offrant.[6]
  • 1690 – Offrir le combat, in Furetière.[9]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To offer, propose: offrir son aide, offrir de partir.[1][9]
  2. To give as a present: offrir des fleurs.[1]
  3. To present, afford: offrir un beau spectacle.[9]
  4. To make an offering of (to God).[3]
  5. S'offrir: to treat oneself to; to offer oneself; to present itself.[1][9]

Word family

  • offre
  • offrant
  • offreur

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)
  3. ^ a b c d e f 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. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 7, 331b
  6. ^ a b c d e Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  7. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  8. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l 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

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Offrir.” Etymologically, 18 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/offrir. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

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