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retour

Etymology and origin of the French word retour

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Back-formation
First attested
early 12th century, Voyage de saint Brendan (return)
Ultimate origin
Latin (tornō)
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
French retourner
French retour

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ʁə.tuʁ/[1]

Forms

retour m (plural retours)[1] Old French return (about 1112), retur (about 1155, Wace), retor (about 1160); retour from about 1185.[2][3]

Etymology

It is a deverbal noun from French retourner (“to return”).[4][1][3][2] The verb is formed on tourner, from Latin tornō (“to turn on a lathe”).[5] Littré analyses it as re- and tour.[6]

Cognate with Old Occitan retorn, Spanish retorno and Italian ritorno.[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

Its first record, in the Voyage of Saint Brendan (early 12th century), is the act of setting off back to where one came from; about 1165 it is the journey back, and in Chrétien de Troyes' Perceval the moment of arrival.[4]

Semantic evolution

From the 12th century it also meant a movement in the opposite direction (Wace) and a bend or turn (el retor d'un fossé, about 1210), later used in architecture (1671).[4] Être de retour is recorded in 1549, and être sur le retour “to be about to leave” in 1680, later “to be getting on in years”.[4][2][7] In commerce it named goods brought back by a ship (Colbert, 1669) and an unpaid bill sent back (1679).[4] Par retour du courrier is found in 1857.[8]

The 19th and 20th centuries added many phrases: retour offensif (1842), choc en retour (1842), billets d'aller et retour (Mallarmé, 1874), retour de flamme (1890), match retour (1905), retour de manivelle (1906) and retour en force (1946).[4] In cybernetics alimentation en retour rendered English feedback (1951);[4] today retour itself can mean feedback.[1]

Timeline

  • Early 12th century – Return, Voyage of Saint Brendan.[4]
  • c. 1165 – The journey back.[4]
  • c. 1210 – A bend.[4]
  • 1549 – Être de retour.[4]
  • 1669 – Return cargo, Colbert.[4]
  • 1857 – Par retour du courrier.[8]
  • 1874 – Billets d'aller et retour, Mallarmé.[4]
  • 1905 – Match retour.[4]

Meanings

Noun

  1. return: going or coming back to where one started; the journey back: le retour à la maison, être de retour.[7][1]
  2. Sending back, return of something to its sender: par retour du courrier.[4]
  3. A movement back, a recurrence: le retour du printemps, retour en arrière.[4][7]
  4. En retour: in return, retour de bâton, retour de manivelle: backlash.[4][1]
  5. feedback, comment on something done.[1]
  6. (sports) Match retour: the return match.[4]
  7. (computing) Retour à la ligne: a line break.[1]

Word family

  • aller-retour

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  3. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r 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. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 13/2, 65a
  6. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  7. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  8. ^ a b Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF
Cite this entry

“Retour.” Etymologically, 18 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/retour. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

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