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responsable

Etymology and origin of the French word responsable

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1284, responsaule
Ultimate origin
Latin (respondeō)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ʁɛs.pɔ̃.sabl/[1]

Forms

responsable (plural responsables)[1]

Etymology

It is a learned formation from Latin respōnsus (supine “responsum”), past participle of respondeō (“to answer; to stand surety”),[2][3][4][5] made to serve as the adjective of répondre in the sense “to be answerable”.[4][2] Wiktionary analyses it as Middle French “response” + -able.[1]

Cognate with Old Occitan responsable.[6] The moral sense “sensible, mature” follows English responsible.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The customs of Lille (1284, in a 14th-century copy) have the noun responsaule, the man charged for life with paying a lord the rent of a church fief;[2][3] the adjective responsable “answerable, guarantor” appears in 1304.[2][4]

Semantic evolution

In 1309 the adjective meant “admissible at law”.[7][8] In the 14th century it came to describe a person who must answer for his own acts and those of persons in his charge, first in law and then in morals;[3] in classical French one was responsable à an authority (Molière).[3] In the 18th century it was applied to rulers answerable for their policy (gouvernement responsable devant le parlement), and the noun responsabilité (1783) arose in translations of Fox's speeches, after English responsibility.[3][9]

As a noun, un responsable is a person in charge (1935: responsable syndical).[3][10] Under English influence the adjective took the sense “sensible, mature” (about 1965–1968).[3][8]

Timeline

  • 1284 – The noun responsaule.[2]
  • 1304 – The adjective responsable.[2]
  • 1309 – “Admissible at law”.[7]
  • 1669 – Responsable à in Molière.[3]
  • 1783 – Responsabilité.[4]
  • 1786 – Irresponsable.[4]
  • 1935 – The noun “person in charge”.[3]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Responsible, answerable, accountable (for something or someone): être responsable de ses actes.[11][9]
  2. (law) Liable: civilement responsable.[11][9]
  3. Of a government, answerable (to parliament).[9][11]
  4. In charge (of): responsable de la sécurité.[10][3]
  5. Sensible, mature.[3][8]

Noun

  1. A person in charge, manager: un responsable syndical.[10][1]
  2. The person or thing to blame: chercher les responsables.[10]

Word family

  • responsabilité
  • irresponsable
  • responsabiliser
  • irresponsabilité

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f 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 c d e f g h i j k l Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b c d e Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  5. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 10, 313a
  6. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  7. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  8. ^ a b c Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  9. ^ a b c d Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)
  10. ^ a b c d Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
  11. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
Cite this entry

“Responsable.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/responsable. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

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