Etymologically
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quinze

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 18 October 2026 at 12:20. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /kɛ̃z/[1]

Forms

quinze (invariable)[1][2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French quinze, inherited from Latin quīndecim (“fifteen”),[2][3][4][5][6][1] a compound of quīnque (“five”) (see cinq) and decem (“ten”) (see dix); Littré notes that the stress was on the first syllable.[2][3][7]

Cognate with Old Occitan quinze, Catalan quinze, Spanish quince and Italian quindici.[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Chanson de Roland (about 1100) has De dulce France i a quinze milliers, “there are fifteen thousand from sweet France”.[2][7]

Semantic evolution

Quinze jours is the usual phrase for two weeks, instead of fourteen.[3][8] Like other numerals it is used as an ordinal for a day of the month (early 18th century) and after a name or number: Louis quinze, page quinze (1869).[3][9][10]

As a noun it was one of the four strokes of real tennis (about 1470), then the first point in tennis (Larousse, 1932); Richelet records it at cards (1680), and Madame de Maintenon names a card game (1711).[2][3][9] Since 1898 le quinze is a rugby team, as in le quinze de France.[2][3]

Timeline

  • c. 1100 – Quinze, Chanson de Roland.[2]
  • c. 1112 – quinzaine.[3]
  • c. 1470 – A stroke in real tennis.[2]
  • 1680 – A score at cards, Richelet.[2]
  • Early 18th century – A date, le quinze.[3]
  • 1898 – A rugby fifteen.[2]

Meanings

Numeral

  1. fifteen: quinze minutes, quinze jours, a fortnight, (d')aujourd'hui en quinze, two weeks today.[8][3]
  2. Fifteenth: page quinze, Louis quinze.[9]

Noun

  1. The number fifteen; the fifteenth day of a month: le quinze août.[9][3]
  2. (tennis) Fifteen, the first point in a game.[9][3]
  3. (rugby) A team of fifteen players: le quinze de France.[2][3]

Word family

  • quinzaine
  • quinzième
  • quinzièmement
  • quinze-vingts

References

  1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ 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
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l 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. ^ 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. 2, 1478b
  7. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  8. ^ a b Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  9. ^ a b c d e Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  10. ^ Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF