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sourd

Etymology and origin of the French word sourd

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Inherited
First attested
c. 1050, Vie de saint Alexis
Inherited from
Latin surdus via Old French
Ultimate origin
Latin (surdus)

Pronunciation

Forms

sourd (feminine sourde, masculine plural sourds, feminine plural sourdes)[1] Old French surz, surt (about 1050), sort (1138), sourt;[2][3][1] sourd from the 13th century.[2][3][1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French sort, inherited from Latin surdus (“deaf; that will not hear; dull, muffled”).[4][2][5] The Latin word has no clear etymology; it has been compared with susurrus (“whisper”) and a root for humming or murmuring, which does not account for the sense.[2] Wiktionary connects it with Proto-Indo-European *swer-.[1] Cognate with Italian sordo, Spanish sordo, Catalan sord and Portuguese surdo.[2][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Vie de saint Alexis (about 1050) has surz for a person who cannot hear;[4][2] Geffrei Gaimar (about 1140) uses les surz as a noun.[4][2]

Semantic evolution

Benoît de Sainte-Maure (about 1175) has faire la sorde oreille, to turn a deaf ear, and the Renclus de Moiliens (1204) uses it for someone who hears but behaves as if deaf.[4][2] The proverb il n'est pire sourd que celui qui ne veut pas entendre goes back to about 1330, in the form il n'est si mavais sours que chuis ch'oïr ne voeilt.[2][6] Frapper comme un sourd, with all one's strength, is found in 1593 and crier comme un sourd in 1690;[7][4][2] sourd comme un pot is in Voltaire in 1763.[7][4][2] From the 16th century it described dull, muffled sounds (Robert Estienne, 1552) and hidden, secret things.[3][8] Phoneticians use consonne sourde for a voiceless consonant (1845).[3][1]

Timeline

  • c. 1050 – Surz in the Vie de saint Alexis.[4]
  • c. 1140 – Les surz, the deaf, in Gaimar.[4]
  • c. 1175 – Faire la sorde oreille, in Benoît.[4]
  • c. 1330 – The proverb of the worst deaf man.[2]
  • 1552 – Of muffled sounds, in Robert Estienne.[3]
  • 1593 – Frapper comme un sourd.[7]
  • 1763 – Sourd comme un pot, in Voltaire.[4]
  • 1845 – A voiceless consonant.[3]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Deaf, hard of hearing: sourd d'une oreille, sourd comme un pot.[8][9]
  2. Unwilling to listen, insensitive, faire la sourde oreille, to turn a deaf ear.[8][6]
  3. Of a sound, muffled, dull.[8][1]
  4. Hidden, secret; of a pain, dull.[8][3]
  5. (phonetics) voiceless: consonne sourde.[1][3]

Noun

  1. A deaf person: les sourds et les malentendants, crier, frapper comme un sourd, with all one's might.[8][2]

Word family

  • sourdement
  • sourdine
  • sourdaud
  • sourd-muet
  • assourdir
  • sourdingue
  • absurde
  • surdicécité
  • surdité
  • Latin surdus

Usage notes

A noun sourd (1552, earlier sort about 1174), perhaps the same word, names the land salamander, and was also used for the slow-worm and other animals once thought to have no ears; these mostly regional uses have aged.[2][10] Littré calls it of unknown origin.[6]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h 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 Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  6. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  7. ^ a b c Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF
  8. ^ a b c d e f 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. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Sourd.” Etymologically, 18 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/sourd. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

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