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survivre

Etymology and origin of the French word survivre

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
c. 1100, Chanson de Roland
Ultimate origin
Latin (vīvō)
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin vivo
French vivre
French survivre
French vivant
Latin vivesco

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /syʁ.vivʁ/[1]

Forms

survivre[1] Old French also sorvivre, sourvivre, from the 12th to the 15th century.[2][3]

Etymology

It is from French sur- + vivre, compare Latin supervīvō (“to outlive”).[4][2][3][5] Wiktionary takes it as inherited from the Latin verb.[1] Compare Spanish sobrevivir, Portuguese sobreviver and Italian sopravvivere.[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Chanson de Roland (about 1100) says of the old emir that he tut survesquiet e Virgilie e Omer, outlived both Virgil and Homer.[4][6]

Semantic evolution

Wace has sorvivre (1160–1174), and the present participle used as a noun, sourvivant, a survivor, is from 1290.[4] The direct object construction, survivre quelqu'un (Madame de La Fayette), became rare after the 18th century;[4][2][7] survivre à is recorded by Robert Estienne in 1538.[4][2][7] Montaigne (1580) uses it for living on after a loss, as in survivre à cette perte, and of things that last after the death of their author (Magny, 1559).[4][6][8]

The Académie gave survivre à soi-même, to lose one's faculties before death, in 1694, and se survivre in 1718.[4]

Timeline

  • c. 1100 – Survesquiet, in the Chanson de Roland.[4]
  • 1160–1174 – Sorvivre, in Wace.[4]
  • 1290 – Sourvivant, a survivor.[4]
  • 1538 – Survivre à, in Robert Estienne.[2][7]
  • 1559 – Of a work outlasting its author, in Magny.[8]
  • 1580 – “To live on after a loss”, in Montaigne.[4]
  • 1718 – Se survivre.[4]

Meanings

Verb

  1. Survivre à: to outlive (someone): il a survécu à tous les siens.[7][1]
  2. Survivre à: to survive (an accident, a disaster); (absolute) to stay alive.[1][7]
  3. Of things, to last longer than: l'œuvre d'art survit à l'artiste.[7]
  4. Se survivre: to live on (in one's children or works); to outlive one's powers.[9][6]
  5. (dated, transitive) Survivre quelqu'un: to outlive someone.[7][3]

Word family

  • survie
  • survivant
  • survivance

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  3. ^ a b c 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 k l 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. 14, 579a
  6. ^ a b c d Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  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 Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF
  9. ^ Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)
Cite this entry

“Survivre.” Etymologically, 18 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/survivre. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·