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sur

Etymology and origin of the French word sur

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sur1 on

Confidence
Established
Formation
Inherited
First attested
881, Sequence of Saint Eulalia
Inherited from
Latin super via Old French
Ultimate origin
Latin (super,suprā)

Pronunciation

  • IPA (Europe): /syʁ/[1]
  • IPA (Canada): /sʏʁ/[1]

Forms

sur[1] Old French soure (881), sobre, sore (about 980), sour, sor (about 1050); sur is found from 1080 but became usual only from the 15th century.[2][3][4]

Etymology

The preposition is inherited from Old French sor, inherited from Latin super (“above, over; upon”), altered by crossing with sus.[2][5][4][6] The oldest forms, “sobre” and “sore”, come from suprā (“above, beyond”), which accounts for the uses marking domination, the part of the body one rests on, and “above” without contact.[2][3] Until the middle of the 17th century the preposition competed with “sus” and dessus, which then became adverbs only.[4][2]

Latin “super” corresponds to Ancient Greek ὑπέρ (hupér) and to the Germanic forms behind English over and German über.[7][1] Cognate with Italian sopra, Occitan subre, Spanish sobre and Portuguese sobre; super is a learned doublet.[6][7][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Sequence of Saint Eulalia (881) has soure marking domination: Maximiien, Chi rex eret a cels dis soure pagiens “Maximian, who was king over the pagans in those days”.[8][7]

Semantic evolution

The preposition developed concrete and abstract uses side by side, many of them figurative from early on.[2] It marked a high or outward position from about 980, and the part of the body one rests on (sobr els pies “on his feet”, late 10th century).[2][3] About 1050 it meant “more than” (Sur tuz ses pers l'amat li emperere “the emperor loved him above all his peers”), and about 1100 “at the expense of” someone.[8] From the 14th century it was used of taxes laid on people (1387) and of rents charged on property (1206).[8]

Féraud (1768) noted the dropping of the r before a consonant in conversation (su la table).[8] In familiar French sur is used for “in” a town or area (il travaille sur Paris).[1]

Timeline

  • 881 – Soure in the Sequence of Saint Eulalia.[8]
  • c. 980 – Sore in the Valenciennes fragment.[3]
  • c. 1050 – Sur “more than” in the Vie de saint Alexis.[8]
  • 1080 – The form sur in the Chanson de Roland.[3][4]
  • 15th century – Sur becomes the usual form.[2][3]
  • mid-17th century – Sus and dessus become adverbs only.[4]

Meanings

Preposition

  1. on, upon: marks a position on top of a surface: sur la table.[7][1]
  2. Over, above, without contact: un pont sur la rivière.[1][2]
  3. About, concerning: un livre sur Rome.[1]
  4. Out of: marks a proportion: un sur dix.[1]
  5. Over: marks domination or superiority: régner sur un pays.[8]
  6. On, after: marks a basis or a time: sur sa demande, sur ce.[8][1]
  7. (familiar) In, at (a town or area): travailler sur Paris.[1]

Word family

  • surtout
  • suret
  • surir

sur2 sour

Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
1160
Borrowed from
Frankish *sūr
Ultimate origin
Proto-Germanic (*sūraz)

Pronunciation

  • IPA (Europe): /syʁ/[1]
  • IPA (Canada): /sʏʁ/[1]

Forms

sur (feminine sure, masculine plural surs, feminine plural sures)[1]

Etymology

The adjective “sur” “sour” is a regional word that spread in the 19th century, borrowed from Frankish *sūr (“sour, acidic”).[4][7][6][9] The Frankish word goes back to Proto-Germanic *sūraz (“sour”), and is cognate with German sauer and English sour.[1][6][10]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first recorded in 1160, meaning “sour”.[4][6]

Semantic evolution

The word long remained regional and spread into general use in the 19th century.[4][7] Its derivatives are suret “slightly sour” (13th century) and surir “to turn sour” (1872, recorded in Normandy from the early 19th century).[6]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. sour, slightly acid: des pommes sures.[7]

Word family

  • suret
  • surir
  • sus
  • dessus
  • super

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  3. ^ a b c d e f 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 Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  5. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 12, 431b
  6. ^ 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
  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
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h 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
  9. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 17, 288b
  10. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Sur.” Etymologically, 18 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/sur. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

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