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ou

Etymology and origin of the French word ou

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Inherited
First attested
937–952, Jonas fragment
Inherited from
Latin aut via Old French
Ultimate origin
Latin (aut)

Pronunciation

Forms

ou[1] Old French u (before 950), o (1080) and ou (1080).[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French ou, inherited from Latin aut (“or”), a disjunctive conjunction distinguishing two things or ideas of which one excludes the other, often doubled as “aut… aut” “either … or”.[2][5][4][1] Latin “aut” was distinct from vel (“or, if you like”), used to correct a term, but was often used together with it and took a weakened sense close to “and”.[2] “Vel” has not survived in Romance.[2][6] “Aut” is an Italic word whose old form was “*auti”, as Oscan auti (“or”) shows; it corresponds to an Indo-European particle “*u”, “*au”.[2]

Cognate with Italian o and Spanish o.[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Jonas fragment (937–952) has u: Se Ninive destruite astreiet u ne fereiet “whether Nineveh would be destroyed or not”.[7]

Semantic evolution

Ou took over the senses of Latin aut and also of vel, marking that the distinction made does not matter.[2] U… u “either … or” is found about 1100 in the Chanson de Roland, and o… o + subjunctive “whether … or” in 1130–40.[7] In the titles of works it introduces a second title (Candide ou l'Optimisme), a use found from 1640.[3] In Gallo-Romance dialects it is often strengthened as ou bien or ou donc.[6]

Timeline

  • 937–952 – U in the Jonas fragment.[7]
  • 1080 – The forms o and ou.[2]
  • c. 1100 – U… u “either … or”.[7]
  • 1640 – In a double title, in Corneille.[3]

Meanings

Conjunction

  1. or: joins alternatives: toi ou moi, maintenant ou plus tard.[1][8]
  2. Ou… ou: either … or.[1][7]
  3. Or, that is: joins two names for the same thing: le patronyme, ou nom de famille.[8][3]
  4. Or (about): marks an approximation between numbers: deux ou trois semaines.[3]
  • et
  • soit
  • Latin aut

Usage notes

Ou is written without an accent, unlike où “where”, which took its grave accent in 1539 to distinguish the two.[2][7]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  3. ^ a b c d e Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  4. ^ a b 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. 25, 1085b
  6. ^ a b c Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  7. ^ a b c d e f 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
  8. ^ a b Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Ou.” Etymologically, 18 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/ou. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

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