préférence

Forms

préférence f (plural préférences)^[1] Middle French preferance.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is formed from French préférer + -ence.^[2][4][1][5] The verb was borrowed in the 14th century from Latin praeferō (“to carry before, to prefer”).^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Rey dates the first record to 1361, as preferance; in Old French it meant only “superiority, high quality of a thing”.^[3][4] Littré quotes Oresme in the 14th century: vie parfaite en preference par temps et aage souffisant.^[6] The TLFi's first record of that sense is in Arnoul Gréban's Mystère de la Passion, about 1458.^[2]

Semantic evolution

In 1469 ordre de preferance was the list of precedence in the statutes of the Order of Saint Michael.^[2][3] In the second half of the 16th century the word took the senses tied to the verb préférer: a particular mark of esteem or advantage given to one person rather than to others (Amyot, 1559), and the judgment or feeling by which one places a person or thing above others (Cotgrave, 1611).^[2][3]

In the 17th century it became a term of customary law for the right of lords and direct heirs to buy or buy back an inheritance (1624), then a creditor's right to be paid before others (1671).^[2][3] The phrases obtenir la préférence (Corneille, 1644), donner la préférence and par préférence à (La Rochefoucauld, 1648) are classical;^[2][3] the adverbial par préférence later gave way to de préférence, and par ordre de préférence is a 20th-century phrase.^[3] In the mid-20th century the word came to name an economic and customs system of privileged relations between countries (1962), and préférence gave the adjective préférentiel (1903), first in tarif préférentiel.^[3]

Timeline

• 1361 – First recorded as preferance, meaning “superiority”.^[3][4]
• c. 1458 – Arnoul Gréban uses it in the sense “superiority”.^[2]
• 1469 – Ordre de preferance “list of precedence”.^[2][3]
• 1559 – Amyot uses it for an advantage given to one person over others.^[2][7]
• 1611 – Cotgrave records the sense “judgment placing one above others”.^[2][3]
• 1624 – A term of customary law for a right to buy back an inheritance.^[2]
• 1644 – Obtenir la préférence in Corneille's Rodogune.^[2]
• 1648 – Par préférence à in a letter of La Rochefoucauld.^[2][3]
• 1764 – Used of the suit that wins over the three others at cards.^[7]
• 1903 – The derivative préférentiel appears.^[3]
• 1962 – Used of a system of privileged trade relations between countries.^[3][7]

Meanings

Noun

1. The judgment or feeling by which one places a person or thing above others, a preference or prédilection: elle a une préférence pour le thé.^[8][2]
2. Donner, accorder la préférence à: to choose someone or something over others.^[8][3]
3. De préférence, de préférence à: preferably, rather than.^[6][3]
4. Je n'ai pas de préférence: it makes no difference to me.^[8]
5. (law) An advantage or priority given to one person over another, as a creditor's right to be paid first.^[6][2]
6. (economics) A system of privileged commercial and customs relations between certain countries.^[3][7]

Word family

• préférentiel

Related words

• préférable
• préférablement
• préféré
• préférentiellement
• préférer

References

1. ^ a b c 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 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 j k l m n o p q Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
6. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
7. ^ a b c d Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
8. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert