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semblable

Etymology and origin of the French word semblable

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
c. 1155, Wace
Ultimate origin
Latin (similis)
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
French sembler
French semblable
French ressembler

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /sɑ̃.blabl/[1]

Forms

semblable (plural semblables)[1]

Etymology

It is from French sembler + -able, formed on the old sense of the verb, “to be like, resemble”.[2][1][3] sembler continues Late Latin similō (“to be like, resemble”), from similis (“like, similar”).[3] Cognate with Old Occitan semblable and Italian sembiabile.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Wace (about 1155) uses it of things that resemble each other;[5][6] Guillaume d'Angleterre (about 1165) has sanlables, “alike”.[5][6]

Semantic evolution

The construction semblable à, “resembling”, is recorded in a manuscript of 1267, and about 1265 Brunetto Latini uses it to introduce the second term of a comparison.[6][7] In mathematics it was said of numbers (1484, Chuquet) and of figures (1639, Mersenne).[6][5] From 1587 it was used with a demonstrative value for something just mentioned, and placed before the noun it means “of that kind”, as in Molière's Tartuffe (1669): en semblable occasion.[6][7]

As a noun it means a person or thing like another (Oresme, 1370–72), as in the proverb chose semblable aime son semblable; with a possessive, nos semblables, it names one's fellow men.[6][4] Rester semblable à soi-même is recorded in 1671.[6]

Timeline

  • c. 1155 – In Wace.[5]
  • c. 1165 – Sanlables in Guillaume d'Angleterre.[6]
  • c. 1265 – Brunetto Latini: in a comparison.[6]
  • 1370–72 – The noun, in Oresme.[6][4]
  • 1484 – Chuquet: nombre semblable.[6]
  • 1639 – Mersenne: similar figures.[6]
  • 1669 – Molière: “of that kind”, before the noun.[6]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Similar, like: semblable à ses voisines, je n'ai jamais rien vu de semblable.[7][1]
  2. In the plural, alike, resembling one another.[7][6]
  3. (mathematics) Of figures, having the same shape: triangles semblables.[5][6]
  4. Placed before the noun, such, of that kind: en semblable occasion.[7][6]

Noun

  1. A fellow creature, fellow man: nos semblables.[1][7]
  2. A person or thing like another: il n'a pas son semblable.[6][7]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  3. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  4. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  5. ^ a b c d e Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q 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
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
Cite this entry

“Semblable.” Etymologically, 18 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/semblable. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·