Etymologically
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quelquefois

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Pronunciation

  • /kɛl.kə.fwa/[1]
  • /ke.kə.fwa/[1]

Forms

quelquefois[1] Written quelque fois from 1490, and often quelques fois or quelquesfois in the 16th century; the spelling in one word is recorded in 1539.[2][3] Middle French quelquefoys.[1][4]

Etymology

It is a compound from French quelque (“some”) + fois (“time, occasion”).[5][4][6][7] Compare Walloon kécfeye.[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

The TLFi first finds it in 1513 in Jean Lemaire de Belges' Illustrations de Gaule, meaning “one day (in the future)”.[5][6] Rabelais uses quelquefoys que for “once, when” (1532): quelquefoys qu'ung grand ours … eschappa, “once when a great bear escaped”.[5][4]

Semantic evolution

The sense “sometimes, now and then” is recorded by Robert Estienne in 1538, as the translation of Latin quandoque.[5][6] The older sense “once, one day” lived on in the classical language, as in La Fontaine and La Bruyère, but is now obsolete.[6][3] In popular French quelquefois que with the conditional means “in case”, like des fois que.[3]

Timeline

  • 1490 – Quelque fois in two words.[2][3]
  • 1513 – “One day”, in Jean Lemaire de Belges.[5]
  • 1532 – Quelquefoys que “once when”, in Rabelais.[5]
  • 1538 – “Sometimes”, in Robert Estienne.[5]
  • 1539 – The modern spelling in one word.[2][3]

Meanings

Adverb

  1. Sometimes, on some occasions, now and then: il vient quelquefois dîner chez nous.[3][5][1]
  2. (obsolete) Once, one day.[3][6]
  3. (popular) Quelquefois que + conditional: in case, if by chance.[3]

Usage notes

Quelquefois is a little more usual in everyday speech than the more formal parfois, while des fois is familiar.[5]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i 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 Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  7. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 14, 411b