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tir

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Etymology and origin of the French word tir

Confidence
Established
Formation
Back-formation
First attested
1660 Oudin More words from the 17th century
Ultimate origin
French tirer
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
French tirer
French tir
From the same root
French attirer ← tirer
French étirer ← tirer
French retirer ← tirer
French tirade ← tirer
French tiroir ← tirer

Pronunciation

Forms

tir m (plural tirs)[1]

Etymology

It is a back-formation from French tirer (“to shoot”).[2][3][1][4]

The verb's own origin is one of the most obscure in French etymology.[5] Wartburg explained it as a reduction of Old French martirier (“to martyr, torture”), since dislocating the limbs was a common torture;[6][5] Rey notes that this proposal works only for French, while the verb is found in nearly all Romance languages.[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

A single 13th-century record has voler à tir “to fly without stopping”, said of a bird.[7][8] The noun proper is first recorded in Oudin's French–Spanish dictionary (1660), for the act or art of firing a firearm and aiming the shot.[2]

Semantic evolution

By 1690 Furetière used it for the line along which a gun, especially a cannon, is fired.[2] The sense “place where one practises shooting” dates from 1826.[2] Littré (1872) records the technical phrases plan de tir, angle de tir, tir plongeant and tir en blanc “firing without a projectile”.[2][7] The word also covers shooting with the bow and the crossbow, as in tir à l'arc.[2] In the 20th century Larousse records champ de tir (1904) and tir au but (1964).[7]

Timeline

  • 13th century – A lone record of voler à tir “to fly without stopping”.[7][8]
  • 1660 – Oudin records it for firing a firearm.[2]
  • 1690 – Furetière uses it for the line of fire.[2]
  • 1826 – First used for a shooting range.[2]
  • 1872 – Littré records plan de tir and tir en blanc.[2]
  • 1904 – Champ de tir appears in Larousse.[7]

Meanings

Noun

  1. The act or art of shooting with a weapon, especially a firearm: tir à l'arc “archery”.[8][2][1]
  2. (sport) Shooting as a sport or competition.[1][8]
  3. The line or path of a shot: ligne de tir.[8][3]
  4. A series of shots, fire: tir de barrage.[1][8]
  5. A shooting range, a stand de tir.[2][1][8]
  6. (sport) A shot at goal: tir au but.[7]
  7. (mining) Blasting.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ 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
  3. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  4. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  5. ^ a b c Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  6. ^ Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  7. ^ a b c d e f Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  8. ^ a b c d e f g Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
Cite this entry

“Tir.” Etymologically, 15 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/tir. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

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