Etymologically
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réunion

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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)