Etymologically
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papa

Etymology and origin of the French word papa

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Onomatopoeia
First attested
c. 1256, Aldebrandin de Sienne
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
French papa
English pop
English papa

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /pa.pa/[1]

Forms

papa m (plural papas)[1]

Etymology

It is a word of children's speech, formed by repeating a syllable,[2][3][1] with counterparts in many languages: Ancient Greek πάππας (páppas), Latin pappa, Catalan papa and Spanish papa.[2][3] It answers to the children's word for the mother, maman.[3][4] The Grand Robert and Petit Robert instead derive it from Latin pappus (“grandfather”),[5][6] and the FEW files it under that word.[7] Bloch and Wartburg note other widespread nursery types with voiced labials (bab-, ab-) and with dentals (at(t)a).[4]

Meyer-Lübke says that the French word spread from French into the other Romance languages as a genteel term.[8]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record, about 1256 in Aldebrandin of Siena's Régime du corps, uses it of a child's word for its father, beside maman.[2][9]

Semantic evolution

Old French also had a word papa for the pap fed to small children.[10][9] As “father” it was established by the 15th century (1461) and recorded by the Académie in 1694.[2][11]

From the 18th century it was used familiarly of a good-natured older man (1766, Collé; 1745 in a mock-epic);[2][12] hence à la papa “quietly, without hurry” (1800).[2][12] Papa gâteau “indulgent father” dates from 1854, fils à papa “rich man's spoilt son” from the early 20th century, and de papa “old-fashioned” (1959) spread after de Gaulle spoke of l'Algérie de papa.[2][3] In African French it is a respectful term for an older man.[3][13]

Timeline

  • c. 1256 – First record, in Aldebrandin of Siena.[2]
  • 1461 – Used in a sottie.[2]
  • 1680 – Grand papa “grandfather”.[3]
  • 1694 – Recorded by the Académie.[11]
  • 1766 – Used of a good-natured older man.[2]
  • 1800 – À la papa “quietly”.[2][12]
  • 1854 – Papa-gâteau in Augier.[2]
  • 1959 – De papa “old-fashioned”.[3][6]

Meanings

Noun

  1. (childish, familiar) Dad, daddy; father, used by children and by adults speaking of their father.[6][14]
  2. (familiar) A good-natured older man.[2][14]
  3. Fils à papa: a rich man's son who lives off his parents' wealth.[2][14]
  4. À la papa: quietly, without hurry or risk.[6][15]
  5. De papa: outdated, old-fashioned: le cinéma de papa.[6][14]
  6. (Africa) A respectful term for an older man.[13][3]

Word family

  • barbe-à-papa
  • grand-papa
  • papa-gâteau
  • papa poule
  • fils à papa
  • maman
  • pape
  • papi

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 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 f g h Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  5. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  6. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  7. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 7, 588b
  8. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
  9. ^ a b Tobler, Adolf; Lommatzsch, Erhard (1925–2002), Altfranzösisches Wörterbuch, 11 vols., Berlin / Wiesbaden / Stuttgart: Weidmann / Steiner, p. 7:141
  10. ^ Godefroy, Frédéric (1881–1902), Dictionnaire de l'ancienne langue française et de tous ses dialectes du IXe au XVe siècle, 10 vols., Paris: Vieweg / Bouillon
  11. ^ a b Académie française (1694), Le Dictionnaire de l'Académie françoise, 1st ed., Paris: Coignard
  12. ^ a b c Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF
  13. ^ a b Base de données lexicographiques panfrancophone (BDLP), Trésor de la langue française au Québec / Agence universitaire de la Francophonie, bdlp.org
  14. ^ a b c d Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
  15. ^ Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)

Borrowed into

Cite this entry

“Papa.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/papa. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

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