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teinte

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Etymology and origin of the French word teinte

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
c. 1265 Brunetto Latini, Trésor More words from the 13th century
Ultimate origin
Latin tingō
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin tingō
French teindre
French teinte
Italian tingere
Spanish teñir
English tinge
From the same root
Latin tīnctūra ← tingō

Pronunciation

Forms

teinte f (plural teintes)[1] Old French taint, teinte.[2][3]

Etymology

It is from French teindre (“to dye”), its feminine past participle used as a noun.[2][4][5] The verb is from Latin tingō (“to dye”).[5][1] The word was rare before the second half of the 17th century, when it was taken up again as a painting term under the influence of Italian tinta.[4][6][7] The compound demi-teinte (1651) was likewise made to translate Italian mezza tinta.[4][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first recorded in Brunetto Latini's Trésor (about 1265, manuscript of 1284), meaning “colour, shade”: the chameleon devient de autretel teinte “takes on the same colour” as what it touches.[2][8][6]

Semantic evolution

In 1312 it also meant “paint”.[2] Its modern use began in painting, where it named a shade obtained by mixing colours (1651) and, since 1676, a colour seen from the degree of intensity the painter gives it (demy-teinte).[2][4] The Encyclopédie records teinte vierge, an unmixed colour, in 1765.[2][9]

In the second half of the 18th century it took the figurative sense “slight appearance, touch” (1761, Rousseau), as in une teinte de ridicule (Diderot, 1779).[4][2] In 1820 une teinte de meant “a light shade of” a colour.[2] The derivative teintier, a set of tooth shades used by dentists, is recorded from 1970.[2]

Timeline

  • c. 1265 – First recorded in Brunetto Latini's Trésor.[6][9][4]
  • 1312 – Used for “paint” in an account of the countess of Artois.[2]
  • 1651 – Roger de Piles uses it for a shade made by mixing colours.[2]
  • 1651 – Demi-teinte is formed after Italian mezza tinta.[4]
  • 1676 – Félibien records demy-teinte.[2]
  • 1761 – Rousseau uses it figuratively for a slight appearance.[2][4]
  • 1765 – The Encyclopédie records teinte vierge.[2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. (painting) A complex colour obtained by mixing colours, a tint: teinte plate.[7][2]
  2. A more or less mixed or intense colour, a shade of a colour, especially in nature.[7][1]
  3. (figurative) A slight appearance, a touch: une teinte de tristesse.[7][2]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p 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
  3. ^ Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  5. ^ a b c Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  6. ^ a b c Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  7. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  8. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  9. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Teinte.” Etymologically, 14 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/teinte. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

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