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place

Etymology and origin of the French word place

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Inherited
First attested
c. 1100, Chanson de Roland
Inherited from
Latin *plattea via Old French
Ultimate origin
Ancient Greek (πλατύς)
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
French place
French placer

Pronunciation

Forms

place f (plural places)[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French place, inherited from Vulgar Latin *plattea, with a doubled “t” probably under the influence of *plattus (“flat”), from Latin platea (“broad street; public square”).[2][3][4][5][1] The Latin word was an early borrowing, borrowed from Ancient Greek πλατεῖα (plateîa, “broad street”), the feminine of πλατύς (platús, “broad, flat”), an Indo-European word for breadth.[2][3][6]

Cognate with Italian piazza, Occitan plaça, Spanish plaza and Portuguese praça.[7][4][8]

Earliest recorded meaning

About 1100 the Chanson de Roland uses it for the place where something happens, the battlefield, and in en la place “on the spot, on the ground”.[2][3]

Semantic evolution

Also in the Roland it meant a definite part of a space where something can be put or someone can stand, a sense behind faire place à (about 1260), prendre place (1377), à la place de and ne pas tenir en place (1705).[2][3] About 1200 it named an open public square in a town, place publique (1370–72).[2][9] In 1306 it was a lodging for troops, and in 1530 a seat for one person, now usual in theatres and transport.[2][3]

A fortified town is a place forte (1417); Villon has tant bat on place qu'elle est prise.[2] About 1485 it meant a rank, and, from 1515 a post or job.[2][10] In commerce la place is the body of merchants and bankers of a town (1694).[2][3] Rey notes that English place, of the same origin, kept the general sense of “spot” that French gave up to endroit and lieu.[3]

Timeline

  • c. 1100 – Place and en la place in the Chanson de Roland.[2]
  • c. 1200 – A public square, in Aiol.[2]
  • 1306 – Lodging for troops, in Joinville.[2]
  • 1417 – Places fortes.[2]
  • 1515 – A post or job.[10]
  • 1530 – A seat for one person.[2]
  • 1564 – The verb placer.[4]
  • 1694 – La place, the merchants of a town.[2]
  • 1774 – Sur place in Diderot.[2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A square, plaza: la place du village.[11][12]
  2. Room, space: prendre de la place, faire de la place.[12][1]
  3. The proper place of something or someone: remettre à sa place.[12]
  4. A seat: une place assise, réserver une place.[1][2]
  5. A position, job; a rank in a classification: première place.[2][12]
  6. Place forte: a fortified town.[13][2]
  7. À la place de: instead of, sur place: on the spot.[3][2]
  8. (finance) A financial or commercial centre: la place de Paris.[3]

Word family

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t 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 i Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b c Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  5. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 9, 37a
  6. ^ Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  7. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  8. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
  9. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  10. ^ a b Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF
  11. ^ Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  12. ^ a b c d Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
  13. ^ Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)

Derived terms

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Place.” Etymologically, 18 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/place. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

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