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prisonnier

Etymology and origin of the French word prisonnier

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1176–81, Chrétien de Troyes, Chevalier au lion (prisonier)
Ultimate origin
Latin (prehendō)
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
French prison
French prisonnier

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /pʁi.zɔ.nje/[1]

Forms

prisonnier m (plural prisonniers, feminine prisonnière)[1] Old French prisonier, prisonnier from the late 12th century.[2][3] The Académie gave only the masculine in 1694 and 1718, and both genders from 1740.[3]

Etymology

It is from French prison + -ier.[3][4][5][1] prison continues Latin prē(n)siōnem (“a seizing, arrest”), for classical prehēnsiō, from prehendō (“to seize”), Old French preison took its modern form under the influence of pris.[5] The new word replaced Old French prison, masculine, “one who is taken, prisoner”, found from the 11th century (as prisun).[3][5][2]

Compare Old Occitan preisonier, Spanish prisionero and Italian prigioniere.[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

Chrétien de Troyes's Chevalier au lion (1176–81) has prisonier for someone taken in war.[3]

Semantic evolution

Bloch and Wartburg note that it was rare in Old French, which mostly said prison.[5] The adjective appears in Baudouin de Condé (1240–80: cartre prisouniere).[3] Later phrases include prisonnier de bonne guerre (1475, letters of Louis XI), prendre prisonnier (1530), faire quelqu'un prisonnier (Marot, about 1530), prisonnier de guerre (Nicot, 1606) and prisonnier d'État (Richelet, 1679).[3][2] The figurative sense, someone held captive by habits or feelings, is recorded in the 20th century, and Bescherelle (1845) has a technical use for a part held captive in another.[2][3]

Timeline

  • 1080 – The older prisun “prisoner”, Chanson de Roland.[2]
  • 1176–81 – Prisonier, Chrétien de Troyes.[3]
  • 1240–80 – The adjective, Baudouin de Condé.[3]
  • 1475 – Prisonnier de bonne guerre.[3]
  • c. 1530 – Faire quelqu'un prisonnier, Marot.[2]
  • 1606 – Prisonnier de guerre, Nicot.[3]
  • 1679 – Prisonnier d'État, Richelet.[3]
  • 1845 – Technical sense, Bescherelle.[3]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A person captured by the enemy in a war: échange de prisonniers, prisonnier de guerre, faire quelqu'un prisonnier.[7][2]
  2. A prisoner, a person held in prison, prisonnier politique.[7][1]
  3. (technical) A part held fast in another, such as a stud or bolt.[2][3]

Adjective

  1. Held captive, (figurative) prisonnier de, a prisoner of (one's habits, a role).[7][2]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o 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
  4. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  5. ^ a b c d Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  6. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  7. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
Cite this entry

“Prisonnier.” Etymologically, 18 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/prisonnier. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

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