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sérénité

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Etymology and origin of the French word sérénité

Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
c. 1190 Sermons de saint Bernard, as sereniteit More words from the 12th century
Borrowed from
Latin serenitas
Ultimate origin
Latin serēnus
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin serēnus
Italian sereno
Romanian senin
Spanish sereno
English serene
Latin serēnitās
English serenity
French sérénité
From the same root
Latin serēnō ← serēnus
Latin serēscō ← serēnus
Romanian seninătate ← senin

Forms

sérénité f (plural sérénités)[1] Old French sereniteit (about 1190); sérénité from the 14th century.[2][3]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin serēnitās (“clearness of the sky, calm”), which in Late Latin was also an honorary title;[4][5] the Latin noun is formed from serēnus (“clear, calm”), the source of serein.[4][2] Wiktionary allows a formation from sérène and -ité as well.[1]

Cognate with Old Occitan serenitat, Spanish serenidad and Italian serenità.[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Sermons of Saint Bernard (about 1190) have sereniteit for the state of a mind free of trouble.[4][5]

Semantic evolution

Unlike Latin, French used the word first in the moral sense.[7][5] It was applied to clear weather only in a few records, about 1390 and again in the 16th century, and this use is now dated or literary.[5][4] From 1686 it was used more broadly for an absence of trouble.[5][3]

As in Late Latin, it was an honorary title for some princes from 1471, in particular for the Doge of Venice from 1680 until 1798.[5][4] The related title sérénissime was borrowed from Italian.[5]

Timeline

  • c. 1190 – Sereniteit appears in the Sermons of Saint Bernard.[4][3]
  • c. 1390 – It is used of the sky.[5]
  • 1471 – First recorded as a title of honour.[4][5]
  • 1546 – Rabelais writes serenité.[4]
  • 1680 – It is the title of the Doge of Venice.[5]
  • 1686 – Fléchier uses it for calm in general.[3]

Meanings

Noun

  1. Calm and serenity of mind; equanimity: affronter l'avenir avec sérénité.[8][4]
  2. Freedom from passion, a dispassionate quality.[8]
  3. (dated or literary) Clear, calm weather.[4][3]
  4. (historical) A title of honour given to some princes.[6][5]

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  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. ^ 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
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  6. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  7. ^ Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  8. ^ a b Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Sérénité.” Etymologically, 14 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/s%C3%A9r%C3%A9nit%C3%A9. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

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