Etymologically
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ou

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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