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tenir

Etymology and origin of the French word tenir

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Inherited
First attested
2nd half of the 10th century, Vie de saint Léger
Inherited from
Latin *tenio via Old French
Ultimate origin
Latin (teneō)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /tə.niʁ/[1]

Forms

tenir[1] Old French tener (about 980), remade as tenir in the 11th century.[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French tener, inherited from Vulgar Latin *tenīre, an altered form of classical Latin teneō (“to hold; to occupy; to keep”), perhaps under the influence of “venīre” “to come”.[2][4][5][1][6] “Teneō” shares an Indo-European root “*ten-” “to stretch” with tendō (see tendre), Ancient Greek τείνω (teínō, “to stretch”) and English thin.[2][7] The Latin verb had a wide range of senses, from “to have in hand” to “to occupy, possess, keep, restrain” and, through “to keep in mind”, “to remember, know”.[2]

Cognate with Romanian ține, Italian tenere, Catalan tenir, Spanish tener and Portuguese ter.[7][8]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found in the second half of the 10th century in the Vie de saint Léger, of keeping a person with oneself: cio fud lonx tiemps ob se lo.s ting “he kept him with him a long time”.[9]

Semantic evolution

The many senses of the Latin verb passed into French, mostly before the 13th century.[2] It was used of holding an object about 1050, of ruling a land (Carles, ki France tient, 1080) and of holding an office in the 10th century; feudal law used it for holding a fief from a lord (1130), whence tenure, and être tenu à “to be obliged to” (about 1283).[9][2] Tenez, said when handing something over, is found in the Chanson de Roland, and the interjection tiens about 1200.[9]

Tenir pour “to consider as” dates from about 1050 and tenir de “to take after” from the late 15th century; the proverb mieux vaut un tiens que deux tu l'auras goes back to about 1185 (Meuz vaut un tien qe deus avraz).[2][9] Faire tenir “to send” is recorded in 1624.[9] Quebec slang uses se tenir avec for “to hang out with”.[1]

Timeline

  • 2nd half of the 10th century – Ting in the Vie de saint Léger.[9]
  • c. 1050 – Holding an object, and tenir pour, in the Vie de saint Alexis.[9][2]
  • 1080 – Carles, ki France tient.[9]
  • 1130 – Holding a fief.[2]
  • c. 1185 – Meuz vaut un tien qe deus avraz.[9]
  • 1200 – The interjection tien in Jean Bodel.[9]
  • c. 1283 – Être tenu à “to be obliged to”.[2]
  • 1624 – Faire tenir “to send”.[9]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To hold: tenir un livre, tenir quelqu'un par la main.[1][9]
  2. To keep (in a state or place): tenir la porte ouverte, tenir chaud.[1][2]
  3. To run, keep (a shop, a house): tenir un commerce.[9]
  4. Tenir pour: to consider as: Je le tiens pour responsable.[1][2]
  5. Tenir à: to be attached to; to insist on: Il tient à venir.[1]
  6. Tenir de: to take after: Il tient de son père.[2]
  7. Intransitive: to hold, last, stand firm: Le nœud tient, tenir bon.[1][2]
  8. Se tenir: to stand, sit, behave: se tenir droit, se tenir bien.[1]
  9. Tiens !, tenez !: here!, look!, expressing surprise.[9][4]
  10. (Quebec, slang) Se tenir avec: to hang out with.[1]

Word family

  • tenable
  • tenancier
  • tenant
  • teneur
  • tenon
  • tènement
  • tenue
  • tenure
  • entretenir
  • abstenir
  • appartenir
  • attenir
  • contenir
  • détenir
  • maintenir
  • obtenir
  • retenir
  • soutenir
  • Latin teneō

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k 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. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  5. ^ Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 13/1, 209a
  7. ^ a b 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 c d e f g h i j k l m n 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

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Tenir.” Etymologically, 18 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/tenir. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

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