Etymology and origin of the French word patience
patience1 virtue
Etymology tree of patience1
From the same root · patience1
Pronunciation
- /pa.sjɑ̃s/[1]
Forms
patience f (plural patiences)[1] Old French pacience, pacïence;[2][3][4] Anglo-Norman also paciens.[2][3][4]
Etymology
The word for the virtue is borrowed from Latin patientia (“act of bearing, enduring”),[2][5][3] from patiens, the present participle of patior (“to suffer, endure”).[5][1] Wiktionary treats Old French pacience as the ancestor of the modern word.[1] The adjective patient was borrowed separately from the Latin participle at the same time.[5]
Littré compares Occitan paciencia, Spanish paciencia and Italian pazienza.[6]
Earliest recorded meaning
The Oxford Psalter (first half of the 12th century) has it for the virtue that bears adversity: Tu ies la meie patience, sire.[2][6]
Semantic evolution
The strong sense, the virtue of bearing misfortune, survives in prendre son mal en patience (Étienne de Fougères, 1174–1178, has prendre en pacïence).[2][5] Chrétien de Troyes uses it in 1176 for bearing others' faults gently, and in 1256 it means perseverance in spite of obstacles, the sense of ouvrage de patience (1798) and jeu de patience (1845–1846).[2][5]
Since the 16th century the weaker sense “calm with which one waits” has dominated: Estienne records it in 1549, prendre patience is found from 1604 and the interjection patience ! in Rabelais (1548).[2][5] Littré notes that in the 15th century some authors used it for a meal, through confusion with pitance.[6]
Concrete senses followed: in heraldry a salamander in flames (1752), a game of cards played alone (Stendhal, 1811), a soldier's board for cleaning buttons (1831), and the ledge of a choir stall (1868).[2][5] Only the card game is still in common use.[5]
Timeline
- c. 1120 – The Oxford Psalter uses it of the virtue.[2][5]
- 1174–1178 – Prendre en pacïence in Étienne de Fougères.[2]
- 1176 – Chrétien de Troyes uses it of bearing others' faults.[2]
- 1256 – The sense “perseverance”.[2]
- 1548 – The interjection patience ! in Rabelais.[2][5]
- 1549 – Estienne records the sense “calm in waiting”.[2]
- 1604 – Prendre patience in Montchrestien.[2]
- 1752 – The heraldic salamander.[2]
- 1811 – Stendhal uses it of a card game.[2]
Meanings
Noun
- The virtue of bearing misfortune and annoyance calmly: prendre son mal en patience.[7][5]
- Perseverance in long or difficult work: un ouvrage de patience.[7][2]
- Calm in waiting for what is slow to come: prendre patience, perdre patience.[7][2]
- (interjection) Patience !: wait, be patient.[2][5]
- A solitaire or game of patience at cards.[5][2]
- (heraldry) A salamander in flames.[2][5]
Word family
- patienter
patience2 dock (plant)
- Confidence
- Established
- Formation
- Borrowing
- First attested
- 1544
- Borrowed from
- Latin lapathium via Middle French
- Ultimate origin
- Ancient Greek λάπαθον
Pronunciation
- /pa.sjɑ̃s/[1]
Forms
patience f (plural patiences)[1]
Etymology
The word for the plant is inherited from Middle French lapatience with its first syllable taken for the article la and dropped.[8][3][9][5] The Middle French form was itself an alteration, by attraction of patience1, of the learned lapacion,[3][8][5] borrowed from Latin lapathium, a variant of lapathum (“a kind of sorrel”), from Ancient Greek λάπαθον (lápathon).[3][8][9][5] Rey says the Greek word is perhaps linked to λαπάσσω (lapássō, “to empty”), from the plant's laxative effect.[5] Popular regional forms developed from Latin lapacium by regular sound change.[5]
Littré instead derived it from a Low German form, itself an alteration of the Latin word.[6]
Earliest recorded meaning
The Grand Robert dates the plant name to 1544; the GLLF finds it in Charles Estienne (1547), and Bloch and Wartburg give 1564.[3][8][9]
Semantic evolution
The word names the dock, a plant of the genus Rumex close to sorrel, whose leaves are tonic and purifying.[5][8] It was also called parelle.[9] Lapacion is still recorded in 1581, and in medical circles it was jokingly cut up as la passion.[5]
Timeline
- 1544 – First record of the plant name.[3]
- 1547 – Charles Estienne has it.[8]
- 1581 – The learned form lapacion.[5]
Meanings
Noun
Related words
References
- ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v 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
- ^ a b c d e f g h Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
- ^ a b Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
- ^ a b c d Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
- ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
- ^ a b c d e f g h Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
- ^ a b c d Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
Related etymologies
Cite this entry
“Patience.” Etymologically, 14 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/patience. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.
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