Etymologically
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recommencer

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 18 October 2026 at 09:17. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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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