quatre

Pronunciation

• IPA: /katʁ/^[1]
• IPA: /ka.tʁə/^[1]
• IPA: /kat/^[1]

Forms

quatre (invariable)^[1] Old French quatre, also catre, qatre.^[1][2] In familiar speech it is pronounced /kat/ before a consonant.^[3][4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Vulgar Latin quattor, found in inscriptions, a reduced form of classical Latin quattuor (“four”).^{[5][6][7][8][1]} The Indo-European numerals one to four were declined, “quattuor” became invariable as its endings fell together.^[6] It goes back to Proto-Indo-European *kʷetwóres, also the source of Sanskrit चत्वारः (catvā́raḥ), Ancient Greek τέσσαρες (téssares), Gothic 𐍆𐌹𐌳𐍅𐍉𐍂 (fidwōr) and English four.^[1][6][9]

Cognate with Italian quattro, Occitan quatre, Catalan quatre, Spanish cuatro, Portuguese quatro and Romanian patru.^[4][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found at the end of the 10th century in the Passion of Clermont, as a cardinal number.^[5][6]

Semantic evolution

From Old French on, quatre often stood for a vague small or large number in set phrases.^[6] Quatre et quatre (about 1316) became quatre à quatre (1692), “very fast”, especially of running up or down stairs.^[5][6][10] Se mettre en quatre “to do one's utmost” is Corneille's (1636), ne pas y aller par quatre chemins “to come straight to the point” is in Oudin (1640), comme quatre “like four people” is Molière's (1663), and aux quatre coins du monde Mme de Sévigné's (1674).^[5][11][10]

As a noun it named the number (1539) and a card or die face (1671); le quatre “the fourth day of the month” is from 1694.^[5][11]

Timeline

• Late 10th century – In the Passion of Clermont.^[5]
• c. 1316 – Quatre et quatre.^[5]
• 16th century – Quatrain, in Marot.^[7]
• 1636 – Se mettre en quatre, in Corneille.^[5][11]
• 1640 – Aller par quatre chemins, in Oudin.^[5]
• 1663 – Comme quatre, in Molière.^[10]
• 1692 – Quatre à quatre.^[10]

Meanings

Numeral

1. four: les quatre saisons, à quatre pattes.^[4][1]
2. (ordinal) Fourth: Henri IV, le quatre mai.^[5]
3. A few: dire deux mots, quatre mots, entre quatre yeux: in private.^[6][10]

Noun

1. The number four; the four in cards or dice.^[5][11]
2. Quatre à quatre: four at a time, in a rush, se mettre en quatre: to bend over backwards.^[10]

Word family

• quatrième
• quatrain
• quatre-vingts
• quatre-quatre

Related words

• quart
• quarante
• quatorze
• quatuor
• Latin quattuor

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)
3. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k 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
6. ^ a b c d e f g Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
7. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
8. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 2, 1440b
9. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
10. ^ a b c d e f Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
11. ^ a b c d Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF