Etymologically
Log in

réunion

Etymology and origin of the French word réunion

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1468, Louis XI
Ultimate origin
Latin (ūniō)
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin unio
French réunion

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ʁe.y.njɔ̃/[1]

Forms

réunion f (plural réunions)[1]

Etymology

It is derived from réunir on the model of union.[2][3][4] The verb, recorded from 1475, is formed from French ré- + unir,[2] and unir is borrowed from Latin ūniō (“to unite”).[5][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Louis XI uses it in a letter of 14 October 1468 for an agreement or reconciliation; in a letter of 1477 he uses it for the joining of a territory to the crown.[2][6]

Semantic evolution

The first common use was political: the joining of a fief or province to a State, as in the chambres de réunion of Louis XIV (1679–1684), which annexed lands to France, and the island of Bourbon, renamed la Réunion.[3][7][6] From 1549 it meant bringing back together things that had been separated, and, from 1587 a reconciliation of people.[4][7] Since the 18th century it has also meant gathering scattered things (1771) and people who come together.[4] The sense “gathering of people, meeting” is found in 1791 in Madame de Staël, after its use before 1790 in the name of a masonic lodge;[2][7] réunion publique is recorded in 1870.[2][7] The jocular réunionite, the habit of holding too many meetings, was formed in the middle of the 20th century.[4]

Timeline

  • 1468 – “Reconciliation”, in a letter of Louis XI.[2]
  • 1477 – “Annexation” of a territory.[2][6]
  • 1549 – Robert Estienne records it for putting things back together.[7][6]
  • 1679–1684 – The chambres de réunion of Louis XIV.[3]
  • 1791 – A gathering of people, in Madame de Staël.[2]
  • 1870 – Réunion publique.[7]

Meanings

Noun

  1. The act of putting together things that were separate or scattered: la réunion des pièces d'un dossier.[8][6]
  2. The annexation of a territory to another or to a State: la réunion de la Lorraine à la France.[8][6]
  3. The gathering of people in one place for a purpose: réunion d'anciens élèves.[8]
  4. A meeting, and the time it lasts: être en réunion, salle de réunion.[8][1]
  5. (mathematics) The union of sets.[1]

Word family

  • réunionite

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h 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 Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b c d Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  5. ^ Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  6. ^ a b c d e f Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  7. ^ a b c d e f Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  8. ^ a b c d Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Réunion.” Etymologically, 18 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/r%C3%A9union. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·