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terminer

Etymology and origin of the French word terminer

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
1155, Wace
Borrowed from
Latin termino
Ultimate origin
Latin (terminus)
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin termino
French terminer
Latin terminatio

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /tɛʁ.mi.ne/[1]

Forms

terminer[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin terminō (“to mark the boundary of, limit; to end, finish”), from terminus (“boundary, limit”) (whence terme).[2][3][4][5][6] Wiktionary takes the Old French verb as a borrowing inherited into modern French.[1] Old French also had “aterminer” “to fix a term”, from Late Latin “adterminare”, which took over several of its legal senses.[3]

Compare Old Occitan termenar, Spanish terminar and Italian terminare.[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

Wace's Brut (1155) has terminer mal “to wish evil (on someone)”, to destine something for someone; about 1175 it meant “to determine, fix, decide”.[2][3][5]

Semantic evolution

It was early linked with the idea of an end: “to recover” from an illness (about 1200) and, from the 14th to the 17th century, “to die”.[2][3][7] The sense “to finish, complete” is found about 1245, and “to bring to an end, put an end to” in Amyot (1559), who has terminer ceste guerre.[2][7] From the 16th century it meant to bound in space (before 1558) and in time (Calvin, 1541), and, from 1610 to form the last element of something (words terminez en ent).[2] The pronominal se terminer appears in the 16th century (Montaigne, 1580) and se terminer par in a temporal sense in 1764.[2][3] In 1745 terminer a work of art meant to give it the finishing touches.[2]

Timeline

  • 1155 – Terminer mal, Wace.[2]
  • c. 1175 – “To decide, fix”.[2]
  • c. 1200 – “To recover”, L'Escoufle.[2]
  • c. 1245 – “To finish”, Saint Auban.[2]
  • 1370 – Interminable.[3]
  • 1559 – “To put an end to”, Amyot.[2]
  • 1580 – Se terminer, Montaigne.[2]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To finish, complete: terminer un travail, en avoir terminé avec.[8][1]
  2. To end, bring to an end: terminer une séance, terminer la soirée chez des amis.[8][1]
  3. To form the end of: un point termine la phrase, terminer par, to end with.[5][2]
  4. (intransitive) To finish, end: j'ai terminé, pour terminer.[1]
  5. Se terminer: to end, come to an end: le film se termine bien, se terminer en pointe.[9][8]

Word family

  • terminé
  • interminable
  • terminaison
  • terminatif
  • terme
  • terminal
  • terminateur
  • terminus
  • déterminer
  • exterminer

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ 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
  3. ^ a b c d e f Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  5. ^ a b c Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 13/1, 237b
  7. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  8. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  9. ^ Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Terminer.” Etymologically, 18 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/terminer. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·