Etymologically
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revenir

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ʁə.v(ə).niʁ/[1]

Forms

revenir[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French revenir, inherited from Latin reveniō (“to come back, return”), formed with re- from veniō (“to come”) (see venir).[1][2][3][4] Rey treats it as a very early borrowing from Latin, and the Grand Robert as a French formation from “re-” and “venir”.[5][6] Late Latin also used “revenire” of property “falling to” someone (730).[5]

Compare Italian rivenire and Spanish revenir.[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found in the second half of the 10th century in the Vie de saint Léger: King Chilperic sends word to Leodegar que revenist “that he should come back”.[8]

Semantic evolution

From the first texts it meant “to come again” and “to return to one's starting point” (about 1050), and revenir à “to take up again” a subject one had left (about 1050).[8][5] Revenir de pasmeisuns “to come round from a faint” is in the Chanson de Roland, revenir à soi dates from the late 13th century, and n'en pas revenir “to be amazed” from 1664 (Molière).[8][3] Of the spirits of the dead it is used from 1559, whence revenant (1690).[8][2]

With a thing as subject it means “to reappear” (about 1174), “to cost” and “to fall to” someone, and figuratively revenir sur means “to reconsider, go back on” (1762).[5] S'en revenir is archaic in France but common in rural speech and in Quebec French.[5] The noun revenu dates from 1320.[2]

Timeline

  • 2nd half of the 10th century – Revenist in the Vie de saint Léger.[8]
  • c. 1050 – Revenir a “to come back to” a subject, in the Vie de saint Alexis.[8]
  • c. 1100 – Revenir de pasmeisuns in the Chanson de Roland.[8]
  • 1320 – Revenu “income”.[2]
  • 1559 – Of ghosts, in Amyot.[8]
  • 1643 – Revenir sur ses pas in Corneille.[3]
  • 1664 – N'en pouvoir revenir in Molière's Tartuffe.[8]
  • 1690 – Revenant “ghost”.[2]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To come back, return: revenir chez soi, Je reviens tout de suite.[9][1]
  2. To come again: Le médecin reviendra demain.[9]
  3. To recur, reappear: Le beau temps revient; to come back to mind: Son nom me revient.[1][5]
  4. Revenir à: to return to (a subject); to amount to: Cela revient au même; to cost: Ça revient cher.[5][1]
  5. Revenir à: to fall to, be due to: Cette décision lui revient.[1][5]
  6. Revenir de: to recover from, n'en pas revenir, to be amazed.[8][3]
  7. Revenir sur: to go back on, reconsider (a decision).[1][5]
  8. Revenir à soi: to come round.[9][3]
  9. (cooking) Faire revenir: to brown.[1]

Word family

  • revenant
  • revenu
  • revenez-y

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e 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 Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  4. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 10, 350b
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  6. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  7. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  8. ^ 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
  9. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert