quelque

Pronunciation

• IPA: /kɛlk/^[1]
• IPA: /kɛl.kə/^[1]
• IPA: /kɛk/^[1]

Forms

quelque m or f (plural quelques)^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from French quel + que.^[2][3][1][4] Old French first used “quel” followed by a noun and the relative “que” to introduce a concessive clause (“quel jagunce que”, about 1100); “quel que” was then brought together before the noun (“quel que pes”, about 1150) and “quelque … que” appears in the early 12th century.^[2] Bloch and Wartburg see the concessive “quelque … que” as the result of a blend of phrases such as quel peine que j'aie“ and ”a quel que peine“, from which ”quelque“ was finally used on its own.^[5] ”Quel continues Latin quālis (“of what kind”).^[5][6]

Littré compares Old Occitan qualque and Italian qualche.^[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found in the early 12th century in Benedeit's Voyage de saint Brendan, in a concessive clause: Quelque peril que vus veiez “whatever danger you may see”.^[2][8]

Semantic evolution

Used without a following clause, quelque appears in a quelque paine “with some difficulty” (1135), and with the indefinite value “some, a” in Guillaume de Lorris (1225–1230); quelque chose and the plural are found in Jean de Meun (1269–1278).^[2][8] Before a number it marked approximation from the mid-15th century (quelques trente mille personnes), and in this use, as before an adjective in quelque … que, it tended to become an invariable adverb in the 17th century, as Vaugelas noted in 1647.^[2]

In the 18th century the pronunciation without /l/ was widely accepted even among educated speakers, but from the end of the century grammarians called for the /l/ to be restored.^[2] Quelqu'un dates from the 14th century and quelquefois from 1490.^[5]

Timeline

• Early 12th century – Quelque … que in Benedeit.^[2]
• 1135 – A quelque paine in Wace.^[2]
• 1225–1230 – Indefinite “some”, in Guillaume de Lorris.^[2]
• 1269–1278 – Quelque chose and the plural, in Jean de Meun.^[2]
• 14th century – Quelqu'un.^[5]
• Mid-15th century – Before a number, “about”.^[2]
• 1490 – Quelquefois.^[5]
• 1647 – Vaugelas notes its use as an invariable adverb.^[2]

Meanings

Determiner

1. In the singular: some, a certain: depuis quelque temps, quelque part.^[8][9]
2. In the plural: a few, some: quelques amis.^[1][7]
3. Et quelques: and a bit more: quarante et quelques.^[7]
4. Quelque … que with the subjunctive: whatever: quelques précautions que vous preniez.^[10][9]

Adverb

1. (literary) Before a number: about, some: à quelque trente kilomètres.^[10]
2. Quelque + adjective + que: however: quelque difficiles que soient les circonstances.^[11][10]

Word family

• quelquefois
• quelqu'un
• quelque chose
• quelque part

Related words

• quel
• que

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 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. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 2, 1412a
5. ^ a b c d e Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
6. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
7. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
8. ^ a b c Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
9. ^ a b Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
10. ^ a b c Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
11. ^ Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)