plusieurs

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ply.zjœʁ/^[1]

Forms

plusieurs (plural only; same form in the masculine and feminine)^[1][2] Old French pluisur (about 1050), plusur, plusor (1080); plusieurs appears in 1325 and was general before the end of the 15th century, under the influence of supérieur.^[3][4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French plusor, inherited from Vulgar Latin *plūsiōrēs, an alteration after plūs (“more”) of plūriōrēs (“several”) (4th century).^[2][3][5][6] “Plūriōrēs” remade classical plūrēs (“more, more numerous”), plural of “plūs”, with the comparative suffix “-ior”.^[2][3][7]

Cognate with Old Occitan plusor.^[8]

Earliest recorded meaning

Its first record, li pluisur in the Life of Saint Alexis (about 1050), meant “most people, the greater number”; neither the construction nor the sense survived Old French.^[2][3]

Semantic evolution

Modern usage dropped the idea of a comparative and kept that of an indefinite number: the Chanson de Roland already has plusurs choses “several things” and the pronoun plusor.^[3][2] As a pronoun it is often followed by de, d'entre (1716, La Motte).^[2][3] In African French plusieurs can mean “many, a lot of”.^[3]

Timeline

• c. 1050 – Li pluisur “most people”, Life of Saint Alexis.^[2]
• c. 1100 – Plusurs choses, Chanson de Roland.^[2]
• 1325 – The form plusieurs.^[3][4]
• 1716 – Plusieurs de, La Motte.^[2]

Meanings

Adjective

1. several, more than one; a fairly small number: plusieurs fois, à plusieurs reprises.^[9][7]
2. (Africa) Many, a lot of.^[3]

Pronoun

1. Several people or things: plusieurs d'entre eux, nous en avons plusieurs, à plusieurs, together, as a group.^[9][8]

Related words

• plus
• pluriel

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i 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 Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 9, 101b
7. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
8. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
9. ^ a b Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert