Etymologically
Log in

pleurer

Etymology and origin of the French word pleurer

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Inherited
First attested
938–950, Jonah fragment (plorer)
Inherited from
Latin ploro via Old French
Ultimate origin
Latin (plōrō)
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin ploro
French pleurer

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /plœ.ʁe/[1]

Forms

pleurer[1] Old French plorer and plourer, Chifflet still advised against saying plorer.[2][1][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French plorer, inherited from Latin plōrō (“to cry out, lament”), an expressive word of popular Latin for which no convincing cognate has been found.[4][2][5] Distinct from lacrimō (“to shed tears”), it was used as its expressive synonym, and it is in the sense “to weep” that it passed into the Romance languages, all except Romanian.[2][4] In the northern dialects it competes with “crier”, “brailler” and “braire”.[6][2]

Cognate with Old Occitan plorar, Catalan plorar, Spanish llorar and Portuguese chorar; Romanian plânge and Italian piangere continue Latin plangō instead.[7][8]

Earliest recorded meaning

As plorer it is found in the Jonah fragment of Valenciennes (938–950), meaning “to shed tears”.[4][2] The Vie de saint Alexis has E tantes lermes pur le ton cors pluredes (“and so many tears wept for your body”).[3]

Semantic evolution

By about 980 it meant to be grieved and, with a person as object, to mourn someone's death.[2][4] Pleurer de “to grieve over” (about 1370) gave way to pleurer sur (1564).[2] In the 13th century ne plorer pas les despens “not to begrudge the cost” gave it a sense like that of plaindre, now regional or familiar except in pleurer le pain qu'on mange (1690) and ne pas pleurer sa peine (1935).[2][4] Of trees it has meant to ooze resin since 1454, and of the vine to bleed sap since 1690.[2]

Comparisons followed from the 16th century: pleurer comme une vache (Rabelais), comme un veau (Scarron, 1648) and comme une Madeleine, after the woman of the Gospel, Rey dates this one to 1873, the GLLF to Balzac, before 1850.[2][9] Il ne lui reste que les yeux pour pleurer “he has lost everything” is in the Académie's dictionary of 1835.[2][9]

Timeline

  • 938–950 – Plorer in the Jonah fragment.[4]
  • c. 980 – “To mourn (someone)”, in the Passion de Clermont.[4][2]
  • 1240–1280 – Ne plorer pas les despens in Baudouin de Condé.[4]
  • 1454 – Of trees, “to ooze”.[4]
  • 1564 – Pleurer sur.[2]
  • 1648 – Pleurer comme un veau in Scarron.[2][9]
  • 1835 – Il ne lui reste que les yeux pour pleurer.[2]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To cry, weep: pleurer à chaudes larmes, pleurer comme une Madeleine.[7][10]
  2. To mourn, to grieve for: pleurer un ami.[1][2]
  3. Pleurer sur: to lament over.[2]
  4. (familiar or regional) To begrudge: ne pas pleurer sa peine.[2]
  5. (of a tree or vine) To exude resin or sap.[2][4]
  6. À pleurer: pitifully, so as to make one weep: bête à pleurer.[9][11]

Word family

  • pleureur
  • pleureuse
  • pleur
  • pleurard
  • éploré
  • pleurnicher
  • larmoyer
  • implorer
  • déplorer
  • Latin plōrō

References

  1. ^ a b c d 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 Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  3. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j 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
  5. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 9, 76a
  6. ^ Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  7. ^ a b Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  8. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
  9. ^ a b c d Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  10. ^ Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)
  11. ^ Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Pleurer.” Etymologically, 18 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/pleurer. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·