Etymologically
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relever

Etymology and origin of the French word relever

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Inherited
First attested
c. 1100, Chanson de Roland
Inherited from
Latin relevo
Ultimate origin
Latin (levō)
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin levis
English oblivion
Latin levo
French lever
English levee
French élever
French élève
French soulever
French enlever
Latin relevo
French relever
French relief
English relief

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ʁə.l(ə).ve/[1]

Forms

relever[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Latin relevō (“to lift up; to relieve, ease”), from re- and levō (“to lighten, raise”).[2][1][3][4][5] The Grand Robert analyses it as from French re- + lever, and Rey thinks both a French formation and the Latin verb may have played a part in the 11th and 12th centuries; the noun relief, from old forms such as “je relief”, shows that the verb was in use early.[6][7][8]

Compare Italian rilevare, Occitan relevar and Spanish relevar.[9][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Chanson de Roland (about 1100) the knights sur lor piez releverent: to put back on one's feet.[10][4]

Semantic evolution

Wace (1155–74) uses it for picking something up from the ground, a sense surviving in relever le gant “to take up the challenge” and in a teacher collecting exercise books.[10][7] Putting back in good order (about 1175) gave technical uses such as relever un vaisseau (1680), and figuratively restoring someone's fortunes (1174) and relever le courage (1564).[10][7] At the end of the 14th century Froissart uses it for retorting sharply to someone, and in 1636 it means to point out, underline.[10]

Surveying gave relever un plan (1640) and taking a ship's bearing (1716), whence noting down in general (Chateaubriand, 1811), reading a meter (1890) and taking fingerprints (1952).[10] Raising upwards is from 1555 (Louise Labé), and in cooking relever a sauce is to spice it up.[10][1] Replacing a guard or a team gave the noun relève (1872).[2][3]

Timeline

  • c. 1100 – “To put back on one's feet”, Chanson de Roland.[10]
  • 1160–74 – To pick up, Wace.[10]
  • 1174 – To restore (someone's fortunes).[10]
  • 1555 – To raise, Louise Labé.[10]
  • 1640 – Relever un plan, Oudin.[10]
  • 1811 – To note down, Chateaubriand.[10]
  • 1872 – The noun relève.[2]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To pick up, help up, stand up again: relever un blessé, relever une chaise.[3][1]
  2. To restore, revive: relever l'économie, relever un mur.[3][1]
  3. To raise, lift; to turn up: relever la tête, relever son col; to increase (prices, wages).[1][10]
  4. To spice up, season: relever une sauce.[1]
  5. To notice, point out: relever une erreur; to react to (a remark).[1][10]
  6. To take down, note; to read (a meter): relever une adresse, relever le compteur.[1][10]
  7. To relieve (a sentry, a team); relever qqn de ses fonctions, to dismiss someone.[3][7]
  8. Relever de: to come under, be a matter for: cela relève de la justice; to be recovering from (an illness).[1][3]
  9. Se relever: to get up again; to recover.[1][3]

Word family

  • relevé
  • relève
  • relèvement
  • relevailles
  • relief

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  5. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 5, 271b
  6. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  7. ^ a b c d Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  8. ^ Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  9. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o 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

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Relever.” Etymologically, 18 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/relever. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

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