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semaine

Etymology and origin of the French word semaine

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Inherited
First attested
c. 1050, Vie de saint Alexis (samaine)
Inherited from
Latin septimana via Old French
Ultimate origin
Latin (septem)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /sə.mɛn/[1]
  • IPA (informal): /smɛn/[1]

Forms

semaine f (plural semaines)[1] Old French samaine (about 1050), semaine from 1119; the Latinizing spelling sepmaine was used in the 16th century.[2][3] Anglo-Norman had many spellings, such as semaigne, semeine and semayne.[4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French samaine, inherited from Late Latin septimāna (“week”), a word of Church Latin (4th century), the feminine of Latin septimānus (“of the number seven”) used as a noun, “septimānus” is derived from septem (“seven”).[2][3][5][6] The Latin word was modelled on Ancient Greek ἑβδομάς (hebdomás, “the number seven; week”) of the Greek Church, from ἕβδομος (hébdomos, “seventh”).[3][5][7] The Church Latin borrowing “hebdomada” survives only in some Romansh and Italian dialects.[5]

Cognate with Italian settimana, Occitan setmana, Catalan setmana, Spanish semana, Portuguese semana and Romanian săptămână.[8][9]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found as samaine about 1050 in the Vie de saint Alexis, meaning the seven-day period from Monday to Sunday that ordered religious life.[2][3]

Semantic evolution

By the end of the 12th century the word was used of any period of seven days, whatever day it began on.[3] Many phrases followed: semaine peneuse was the week before Easter, later grande semaine (1608) and semaine sainte (1680).[3][9] La semaine des trois jeudis “never” is recorded by Oudin in 1640 and became la semaine des quatre jeudis in the 19th century.[2][5][3]

By metonymy it meant a week's wages (1552, sepmaine), a duty performed for a week (être de semaine, 1694), and a child's weekly pocket money (1798).[3][10] Prêter à la petite semaine “to lend short-term at a high rate” dates from 1740; from it comes à la petite semaine “without planning ahead” (1855).[2][5][10] With the sense “working days”, en semaine “on weekdays” is recorded in 1871, semaine anglaise, the week with Saturday afternoon off, dates from 1911.[3]

Timeline

  • c. 1050 – Samaine in the Vie de saint Alexis.[2]
  • 1119 – The form semaine, in Philippe de Thaon.[2]
  • 1552 – A week's wages, in Gouberville's journal.[2][10]
  • 1640 – La semaine des trois jeudis “never”, in Oudin.[2][5]
  • 1680 – Semaine sainte “Holy Week”.[3][7]
  • 1740 – Prêter à la petite semaine, in the Académie dictionary.[2]
  • 1871 – En semaine “on weekdays”, in Littré.[3][7]
  • 1911 – Semaine anglaise.[3]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A week, from Monday to Sunday: la semaine prochaine.[11][12]
  2. Any period of seven days: trois semaines de vacances.[12]
  3. The working days, as opposed to the weekend: en semaine.[12][3]
  4. The weekly total of working hours: la semaine de 35 heures.[12]
  5. A week's wages; a child's weekly pocket money.[3][7]
  6. A week devoted to an event or cause: la semaine du goût.[3]
  7. À la petite semaine: short-sightedly, from day to day.[11][10]
  8. (Quebec) A menstrual period.[1]

Word family

  • semainier
  • sept
  • hebdomadaire
  • Latin septimāna

Usage notes

La semaine des quatre jeudis “never” is still used, although Thursday is no longer the school holiday.[3] Quebec says fin de semaine for the weekend.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e 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 h i j k l m n o p Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)
  5. ^ a b c d e f Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 11, 482a
  7. ^ a b c d Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  8. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
  9. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  10. ^ a b c d Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF
  11. ^ a b Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  12. ^ a b c d Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Semaine.” Etymologically, 18 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/semaine. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

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