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prévenir

Etymology and origin of the French word prévenir

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
1467, letters of Louis XI
Borrowed from
Latin praevenio
Ultimate origin
Latin (veniō)
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin praevenio
French prévenir

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /pʁev.niʁ/[1]
  • IPA: /pʁɛv.niʁ/[1]

Forms

prévenir[1] The Académie wrote prevenir in 1694 and 1718, prévenir from 1740.[2]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin praeveniō (“to come before; to anticipate, forestall; to surpass”), from prae- (“before”) and veniō (“to come”).[2][3][4][5][1][6] Bloch and Wartburg note that French developed two senses with no link between them, “to forestall” and “to warn”, so that its two main modern senses are unrelated.[5]

Compare Old Occitan prevenir, Spanish prevenir and Italian prevenire.[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

In a letter of Louis XI (1467) it is a legal term, “to summon before a court”; about 1480 the Mystère du Viel Testament uses it for “to act first”.[2][3]

Semantic evolution

Following the Latin it meant to forestall someone (1512) and to come before (Calvin, 1551: La misericorde de Dieu nous prévient), uses now archaic.[2][3][7] The modern senses developed about 1600: to stop something unfortunate from happening (Montchrestien, 1604), whence the proverb mieux vaut prévenir que guérir; to inform in advance (1585); and to prejudice someone for or against (Pascal, prévenir en faveur de, 1675).[2][3] To warn as a threat is in Laclos (1782), and prévenir les désirs “to anticipate” in La Bruyère (1691).[2] The noun prévenu, an accused person (1585), continues the first legal sense.[3]

Timeline

  • 1467 – “To summon to court”.[2]
  • c. 1480 – “To act first”.[2]
  • 1585 – “To inform in advance”, prévenu.[2][3]
  • 1604 – “To prevent”, Montchrestien.[2]
  • 1675 – Prévenir en faveur de.[2]
  • 1691 – To anticipate wishes, La Bruyère.[2]
  • 1782 – To warn as a threat, Laclos.[2]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To warn, let know, inform: prévenez-moi si vous venez, je vous aurai prévenu !.[8][1]
  2. To prevent, avert, ward off: prévenir un accident, mieux vaut prévenir que guérir.[1][3]
  3. To anticipate: prévenir les désirs de quelqu'un.[9][2]
  4. To prejudice, bias: prévenir quelqu'un en faveur de, contre.[3][10]
  5. (literary) To forestall, act before someone.[9][10]

Word family

  • prévenant
  • prévenance
  • prévenu

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n 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 Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ 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. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 9, 325a
  7. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  8. ^ Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
  9. ^ a b Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  10. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Prévenir.” Etymologically, 18 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/pr%C3%A9venir. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

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