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royaume

Etymology and origin of the French word royaume

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Inherited
First attested
c. 1100, Chanson de Roland (reialme)
Inherited from
Latin regimen via Old French
Ultimate origin
Latin (regō)
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin regimen
French royaume

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ʁwa.jom/[1]
  • IPA: /ʁwa.jɔm/[1]

Forms

royaume m (plural royaumes)[1] Old French reialme (Roland), roiaume (about 1196), royaume from the 13th century; also reiame, roiame to the mid-14th century.[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French reiame, altered by crossing with royal;[3][2][5][6] reiame was understood as a derivative of Latin rēx (“king”), but is in fact inherited from Latin regimen (“direction, government”),[2][5][3][7] from regō (“to rule”),[6] which by a learned route gave régime.[2] Old Occitan regeme beside reialme supports this.[2][5][3] Littré instead supposed a form derived from Latin rēgālis (“royal”).[8]

Italian reame, Old Spanish realme and English realm come from Gallo-Romance.[2][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Chanson de Roland (about 1100) has reialme for a state ruled by a king: Charlemagne says he will hold his realm in great grief.[3][8]

Semantic evolution

In religious language Dieu roiaume meant paradise (Rutebeuf, 1266), whence le royaume des cieux, royaume de Dieu.[3][4] Poetic and figurative uses include le royaume des lis (France), le royaume des morts and the phrase ne pas le faire pour un royaume “not for anything” (late 17th century;[2] Froissart already has “pas pour le royalme de Bavière”).[2][4] The Royaume-Uni is the United Kingdom.[2][9]

Timeline

  • c. 1100 – Reialme (Roland).[3][4]
  • c. 1196 – Roiaume.[2][4]
  • c. 1200 – Roiame in Jean Renart.[3]
  • 1266 – Dieu roiaume “paradise”.[3]
  • 13th century – Royaume.[2][4]
  • mid-14th century – Reiame goes out of use.[3]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A kingdom, a state ruled by a king or queen.[9][3]
  2. (religion) Le royaume de Dieu, des cieux: the kingdom of heaven.[9][4]
  3. (figurative) A domain where someone reigns: la cuisine est son royaume.[4][9]
  • roi
  • royal
  • régime
  • English realm

References

  1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k 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
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  5. ^ a b c d Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  6. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  7. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 10, 209b
  8. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  9. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Royaume.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/royaume. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

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