Etymologically
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sûrement

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /syʁ.mɑ̃/[1]

Forms

sûrement (invariable; 1990 spelling surement)[1] Old French soürement, seürement; the Académie wrote seurement in 1694 and 1718, sûrement from 1740.[2][3]

Etymology

It is from French sûr + -ment, from the feminine of the adjective with the adverbial suffix.[2][4][1][5] Compare Old Occitan segurament, Spanish seguramente and Italian sicuramente.[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Chanson de Roland (about 1100) soürement means in safety, confidently: Passez les porz trestout soürement.[2][5]

Semantic evolution

Wace (1170–83) has it for “assuredly, certainly” in a reply: Oïl, seürement.[2] “In a certain manner” is found in 1404, the emphatic “yes, of course” in Destouches (1736), and sûrement que in Laclos (1782).[2] The proverb qui va lentement va sûrement keeps the old sense “safely”.[6][3] In modern French it often has a weakened sense, “probably”.[1][3]

Timeline

  • c. 1100 – Soürement “safely”, Chanson de Roland.[2]
  • 1170–83 – “Assuredly”, Wace.[2]
  • 1404 – “Certainly”.[2]
  • 1736 – As an emphatic yes, Destouches.[2]
  • 1782 – Sûrement que, Laclos.[2]

Meanings

Adverb

  1. surely, certainly: il viendra sûrement; in answers: sûrement !, sûrement pas.[7][3][1]
  2. Probably: il est sûrement déjà parti.[1][3]
  3. (dated or literary) Safely, without risk: qui va lentement va sûrement.[6][3]
  4. Surely, unfailingly, effectively: l'expérience instruit plus sûrement que le conseil.[6][3]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ 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
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  4. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  5. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  6. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  7. ^ Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)