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remplacer

Etymology and origin of the French word remplacer

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1549, Robert Estienne
Ultimate origin
Latin (platea)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ʁɑ̃.pla.se/[1]

Forms

remplacer[1]

Etymology

It is formed from re- and the old verb emplacer (“to put in place”) (see emplacement),[2][3][4][5][6][7] itself from place;[6][8][1] the noun continues Latin platea (“broad street; square”), perhaps from Ancient Greek πλατεῖα (plateîa, “broad”).[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

Robert Estienne (1549) has it with an unclear sense; the TLFi's first clear record is Nicot (1606), “to put a thing in another place”, and Vauquelin (1607) has “to put back in place”.[5][3][2]

Semantic evolution

Cotgrave (1611) records the modern sense “to put in the place of another person or thing”, and Crespin (1616) “to take the place of”.[2] Lesage (1709) uses it for succeeding someone in a post, and, from 1792 it meant to do someone's military service in his stead.[2] The Académie (1835) records its use for filling in for someone temporarily;[2] Richelet (1679) gives a financial sense, to reinvest capital.[2] remplacement also dates from 1549.[6]

Timeline

  • 1549 – First record, Robert Estienne; remplacement.[5][6]
  • 1606 – “To put elsewhere”, Nicot.[2]
  • 1611 – “To put in the place of”, Cotgrave.[2]
  • 1679 – “To reinvest”, Richelet.[2]
  • 1709 – “To succeed in a post”, Lesage.[2]
  • 1792 – Military substitution.[2]
  • 1835 – “To stand in for”, Académie.[2]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To replace a thing by another: remplacer un carreau cassé.[4][1]
  2. To take the place of, stand in for: son collaborateur le remplacera pendant son absence.[5][2]
  3. To succeed someone, give someone a successor: la direction a remplacé le comptable.[4][2]
  4. Of a thing, to take the place of, serve instead of.[2]

Word family

  • remplaçable
  • irremplaçable
  • remplaçant
  • remplacement

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ 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
  3. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  5. ^ a b c d Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  6. ^ a b c d e Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  7. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 9, 41a
  8. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
Cite this entry

“Remplacer.” Etymologically, 18 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/remplacer. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·