Etymologically
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soudain

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /su.dɛ̃/[1]

Forms

soudain (feminine soudaine, masculine plural soudains, feminine plural soudaines)[1] Old French sudein (about 1120), remade as soudain about 1210; the semi-learned spelling soubdain is found in the 16th century.[2][3] The learned form subitain (1160–70) lived on in mort subitaine, still used in Walloon and Swiss dialects.[2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French sudein, inherited from Late Latin subitānus (5th century), an alteration of subitāneus (“sudden”), from subitus (“sudden”).[4][2][3][5] The same Latin adjective gave the learned subit.[2][3]

Cognate with Old Occitan soptan and Italian subitano.[6][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Cambridge Psalter (first half of the 12th century) sudein describes what happens in a very short time.[4]

Semantic evolution

Of people it meant quick to act (late 14th century, Froissart), a sense lost in the 18th century, and quick-tempered (1380), still found in 1700.[4][2]

The adverb is first recorded in 1487 meaning “at once”; the modern sense “all of a sudden” appears in 1549, and tout soudain from about 1530.[4][2] The conjunction soudain que “as soon as” (1538) was no longer in use by 1721, according to the Dictionnaire de Trévoux.[2]

Timeline

  • c. 1120 – Sudein, in the Cambridge Psalter.[2][4]
  • c. 1210 – The form soudain.[2][3]
  • Late 14th century – “Quick to act”, in Froissart.[4]
  • 1487 – Adverb “at once”.[4]
  • 1549 – Adverb “suddenly”.[2]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. sudden, happening in a very short time and without warning: une mort soudaine, une envie soudaine.[8][9]

Adverb

  1. suddenly, all at once: soudain, un orage éclata.[10][1]

Word family

  • soudaineté
  • soudainement

References

  1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  3. ^ a b c d Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b c d e f g 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. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 12, 334b
  6. ^ Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  7. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  8. ^ Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  9. ^ Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)
  10. ^ Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)