Etymologically
Log in

recevoir

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 18 October 2026 at 06:39. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ʁə.sə.vwaʁ/[1]

Forms

recevoir[1] Old French infinitive receivre (late 10th century), reçoivre, receveir (1080), recivoir (about 1200) and recevoir (1273) were made on recevons, as avoir on avons.[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French receivre, inherited from Latin recipiō (“to take back; to accept, welcome”), from re- and capiō (“to take, seize”).[5][2][4][6][1] The modern infinitive replaced the regular “receivre”, which kept the Latin stress on “-ci-”.[2][7] English receive was borrowed from Anglo-Norman.[1]

Cognate with Italian ricevere, Occitan recebre, Catalan rebre, Spanish recibir and Portuguese receber.[8]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found in the second half of the 10th century in the Vie de saint Léger as reciwre, meaning “to accept someone, let someone in”.[5][2]

Semantic evolution

About 1050 it meant “to take what is offered” and in 1155 “to receive (baptism)”; in the Chanson de Roland it is “to suffer (blows)” and “to accept (a law)”.[5] About 1145 Wace used it for welcoming someone in a certain way.[5][2] Later developments include receiving visits (1727), entertaining guests (1798) and admitting a candidate to an examination.[5][2][9] Idée reçue “received idea” belongs to the sense “to accept as true”.[1][5] Derivatives include recette and receveur (12th century), recevable (13th century) and reçu (1611).[4]

Timeline

  • Late 10th century – Reciwre in the Vie de saint Léger.[5]
  • c. 1050 – “To take what is offered”, in the Vie de saint Alexis.[5]
  • c. 1100 – Receivre blows, in the Chanson de Roland.[5]
  • c. 1145 – “To welcome”, in Wace.[5]
  • 1273 – The infinitive recevoir.[10]
  • 1611 – Reçu “receipt”.[4]
  • 1798 – Absolute recevoir “to entertain”.[2]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To receive, get: recevoir une lettre, recevoir un prix.[9][1]
  2. To suffer, sustain: recevoir un coup.[5]
  3. To welcome, entertain: recevoir des amis, (absolute) to have guests.[1][2]
  4. To admit: être reçu à un examen.[9]
  5. To accept as true: une idée reçue.[1][5]
  6. (of a place) To hold, accommodate.[9]

Word family

  • recette
  • recevable
  • irrecevable
  • receveur
  • reçu
  • réceptacle
  • récepteur
  • réceptif
  • réception
  • récipient
  • Latin recipiō

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 Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  3. ^ Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  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. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l 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
  6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 10, 145a
  7. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  8. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
  9. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  10. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert