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récit

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Etymology and origin of the French word récit

Confidence
Established
Formation
Back-formation
First attested
1498 Guillaume Cretin More words from the 15th century
Ultimate origin
Latin citō

Pronunciation

Forms

récit m (plural récits)[1] First spelled resit (1498), then recit (1531); the accent dates from the 17th century, as in the verb.[2][3]

Etymology

It is a deverbal noun from French réciter.[4][2][5][1] The verb is borrowed from Latin recitō (“to read aloud”), formed from the intensive re- and citō (“to call, to summon”).[2][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Guillaume Cretin uses it in 1498, as resit, for the account of an event.[4][2]

Semantic evolution

The noun did not follow the changes of the verb, which already had récitation as its noun of action, and kept the sense “narration of real or imaginary events, spoken or written”, which réciter itself lost in the 18th century.[2] It took several specialized senses: in drama the speech in which a character relates events not shown on stage (1660, Corneille), the classic example being Théramène's speech in Racine's Phèdre,[2][4] and a narrative literary work (1704), with more precise uses in rhetoric and literary theory, close to narration.[2]

In music it named any piece for a single voice (1671, Pomey) or a single instrument (1705, Brossard),[4] then a recitative (1764), the part that carries the main subject in a symphony (1768, Rousseau) and, in 1904, one of the keyboards of the organ, the swell.[2][4][1]

Timeline

  • 1498 – First record, as resit, in Guillaume Cretin.[4][2]
  • 1531 – The spelling recit appears.[2][3]
  • 1660 – Corneille uses it for a narrative speech in a play.[4][2]
  • 1671 – Pomey records it for a piece sung by one voice.[4]
  • 1704 – Used for a narrative literary work.[2]
  • 1705 – Brossard applies it to a piece for a solo instrument.[4]
  • 1764 – Voltaire uses it for a recitative.[6][2]
  • 1768 – Rousseau uses it for the main part of a symphony.[4]
  • 1904 – The Nouveau Larousse illustré records it for an organ keyboard.[4]

Meanings

Noun

  1. An oral or written account of events, real or imaginary; a narrative, a tale.[3][4][1]
  2. (theatre) A detailed speech in which a character relates an event not shown on stage.[4][7]
  3. (literature) A narrative work;[2][1] récit de voyage, a travel narrative.[2][1]
  4. (music, dated) A solo for voice or instrument; a recitative.[3][7]
  5. (music) The part that carries the main subject in a symphony.[3]
  6. (music) The swell division, one of the keyboards of a pipe organ.[3][1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  3. ^ a b c d e f Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m 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
  5. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  6. ^ Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  7. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
Cite this entry

“Récit.” Etymologically, 14 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/r%C3%A9cit. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

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