Etymologically
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recommencer

Etymology and origin of the French word recommencer

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
c. 1100, Chanson de Roland (recumencet)
Ultimate origin
Latin (initium)
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
French commencer
French recommencer

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ʁə.kɔ.mɑ̃.se/[1]

Forms

recommencer[1] Recomencer (1080), recommencier (12th century), recommencer (13th century).[2][3]

Etymology

It is from French re- + commencer.[4][5][2][1][6] The verb commencer comes from Vulgar Latin *comīnitiō, a strengthened form of Latin initiō (“to initiate; in Late Latin, to begin”).[5]

Compare Old Occitan recomensar and Italian ricominciare.[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Chanson de Roland (about 1100) the Franks recumencent the fight: to begin again what had been interrupted.[4][7]

Semantic evolution

The intransitive use, “to happen again”, is in the Roman de Troie (about 1165: recomencent li tornei), and Chrétien de Troyes uses it for doing again what has already been done (1172–90).[4] Robert Estienne has the reflexive se recommencer (1539), the impersonal il recommence à pleuvoir is recorded in the Dictionnaire général (1893), and c'est toujours à recommencer is in Furetière (1690).[4][3]

Timeline

  • c. 1100 – Recumencet, Chanson de Roland.[4]
  • c. 1165 – Intransitive “to start again”, Roman de Troie.[4]
  • 1172–90 – To do again, Chrétien de Troyes.[4]
  • 1546 – The derivative recommencement.[5]
  • 1893 – Impersonal il recommence à pleuvoir.[4]

Meanings

Verb

  1. (transitive) To restart, begin again: recommencer un travail, recommencer à zéro.[8][1]
  2. (transitive) To do again, repeat: ne recommence pas !.[8][4]
  3. (intransitive) To start again: l'école recommence lundi, il recommence à pleuvoir.[4][8]

Word family

  • recommencement

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  3. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j 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 c Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 2, 943b
  7. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  8. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
Cite this entry

“Recommencer.” Etymologically, 18 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/recommencer. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·