Etymologically
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surprise

Etymology and origin of the French word surprise

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1549, Robert Estienne
Ultimate origin
Latin (prehendō)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /syʁ.pʁiz/[1]

Forms

surprise f (plural surprises)[1] Old French sorprise (about 1160–75), surprise (1294) in the sense “extraordinary tax”, surprinse in the 16th century.[2][3][4]

Etymology

In its modern senses it is the feminine past participle of surprendre used as a noun.[4][3][2][1][5] The medieval “surprise” “extraordinary tax” is probably a separate formation, from sur- and prise, a financial term (Medieval Latin “prisia”, 1209).[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Benoît de Sainte-Maure (about 1175) has sorprise for an extraordinary tax; the sense “act of taking someone unawares” appears in Robert Estienne (1549), of a legal action obtained by trickery, and in Amyot (1559), of a surprise attack.[4][2]

Semantic evolution

Corneille (1642) speaks of surprises des sens, and in 1662 uses it for the emotion caused by something unexpected, the main sense today.[4] Furetière (1690) notes that the surprise of a play's ending gives pleasure; in 1782 Madame de Genlis has the sense of an unexpected present or treat.[4] A surprise was also a cone of sweets with a small present inside (1842), and Balzac (1847) has boîte à surprise; the pochette surprise is its descendant.[4][6] Used as an adjective, surprise means unannounced: visite surprise, grève surprise.[6][7]

Timeline

  • c. 1175 – Sorprise “extraordinary tax”.[4]
  • 1549 – Taking unawares, Robert Estienne.[4]
  • 1559 – A surprise attack, Amyot.[4]
  • 1662 – The emotion of surprise, Corneille.[4]
  • 1782 – An unexpected present, Madame de Genlis.[4]
  • 1842 – A cone of sweets with a present.[4]

Meanings

Noun

  1. surprise, astonishment: à ma grande surprise, un cri de surprise.[7][1]
  2. Something unexpected: quelle surprise !, avoir une mauvaise surprise, sans surprise.[7][4]
  3. A present, treat: faire une surprise à qqn.[4][2]
  4. Par surprise: by surprise, unawares: attaquer par surprise.[7]
  5. (as adjective) Surprise, unexpected: une visite surprise, pochette surprise.[6][7]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  3. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o 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. 9, 351a
  6. ^ a b c Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF
  7. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
Cite this entry

“Surprise.” Etymologically, 18 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/surprise. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

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