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réponse

Etymology and origin of the French word réponse

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
c. 1165, Benoît de Sainte-Maure (response)
Ultimate origin
Latin (respondeō)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ʁe.pɔ̃s/[1]

Forms

réponse f (plural réponses)[1] Old French response, reponse in Joinville (late 13th century). The Académie wrote response in 1694 and 1718, réponse from 1740.[2][3]

Etymology

It is a feminine form, from Old French respons (“answer”) (now répons), from Latin respōnsum (“answer”), the neuter past participle of respondeō (“to answer”).[3][4][1][5][6] The ⟨n⟩ was kept before ⟨s⟩ after the verb répondre.[4] Compare Old Occitan respos and “resposa”; elsewhere the words come from the participle of the verb, as Italian risposta and Spanish respuesta (whence French riposte).[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found about 1165 in Benoît de Sainte-Maure's Roman de Troie, in faire response, to give an answer.[3][2] The masculine respons was used in the same general sense in the Middle Ages, as in the Chanson de Roland (ne fist autre respunt).[4][7]

Semantic evolution

Brunetto Latini (about 1265) writes of bringing letters with one's answer, and rendre response is found in 1316.[3] Ronsard (1563) uses it for a written refutation, the sense of Pascal's droit de réponse, which is recorded in 1923.[3][2] Later specialisations are musical (Rousseau, 1753), financial (1867, on the stock exchange) and biological, a reaction of an organism (Alexis Carrel, 1935).[3][2]

Phrases include réponse normande (1684), later réponse de Normand (Académie, 1798), an evasive answer, and avoir réponse à tout (1722).[2]

Timeline

  • c. 1165 – Faire response, Benoît de Sainte-Maure.[3]
  • c. 1265 – An answering letter, Brunetto Latini.[3]
  • late 13th century – Spelt reponse by Joinville.[2]
  • 1563 – A refutation, Ronsard.[3]
  • 1684 – Réponse normande.[2]
  • 1740 – The Académie spells it réponse.[3]
  • 1753 – A musical sense, Rousseau.[3]
  • 1935 – The reaction of an organism, Carrel.[2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. An answer, reply to a question or request: donner une réponse, en réponse à.[8][1]
  2. A letter sent in reply: je n'ai pas encore sa réponse.[9]
  3. A solution to a problem or question.[2][10]
  4. A retort, refutation: droit de réponse, the right of reply.[2][1]
  5. A reaction, response of an organism or system: réponse immunitaire.[1][2]
  6. Réponse de Normand: an evasive answer, avoir réponse à tout, to have an answer for everything.[2][7]

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 Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  3. ^ 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
  4. ^ a b c d Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  5. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 10, 312b
  7. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  8. ^ Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  9. ^ Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
  10. ^ Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)
Cite this entry

“Réponse.” Etymologically, 18 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/r%C3%A9ponse. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

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