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parfois

Etymology and origin of the French word parfois

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Compound
First attested
late 13th century, Mahieu le Vilain (par fois)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /paʁ.fwa/[1]

Forms

parfois[1] Written par fois until it was joined as parfoys in 1530 (Palsgrave); Anglo-Norman had parfeiz, parfiez.[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is a compound of par, marking repetition in time, and fois.[2][3][5][6][1] “Fois” is inherited from Latin vicis (“change, turn, succession”), the plural “vicēs” having given the word for each occasion on which something happens.[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

The phrase par fois “from time to time, at moments” is first found at the end of the 13th century in Mahieu le Vilain's translation of Aristotle's Meteorology (in a manuscript of the 14th century); it is isolated until Commynes uses it in the 15th century.[2][3]

Semantic evolution

Joined as parfoys in 1530, it settled into the meaning “now and then, in some cases”.[2][3] Rey places it between the neutral quelquefois and the familiar des fois; it is mainly written, but popular speech uses si parfois for si par hasard “if by chance”.[3][2] Parfois…, parfois… “now…, now…” is recorded in Victor Hugo (1869).[8]

Timeline

  • Late 13th century – Par fois in Mahieu le Vilain.[2]
  • 15th century – In Commynes.[2]
  • 1530 – Parfoys, in Palsgrave.[2]
  • 1869 – Parfois…, parfois… in Hugo.[8]

Meanings

Adverb

  1. sometimes, now and then: il vient parfois nous voir.[9][1]
  2. In some cases, occasionally: il neige parfois sur la Côte d'Azur.[8]
  3. Parfois…, parfois…: now…, now…: parfois gai, parfois mélancolique.[9][8]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h 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. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)
  5. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 14, 411b
  7. ^ Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  8. ^ a b c d Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  9. ^ a b Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
Cite this entry

“Parfois.” Etymologically, 18 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/parfois. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

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