Etymologically
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trésor

Etymology and origin of the French word trésor

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
c. 1050, Vie de saint Alexis
Borrowed from
Latin thesaurus
Ultimate origin
Ancient Greek (θησαυρός)
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Ancient Greek θησαυρός
Latin thesaurus
English thesaurus
French trésor

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /tʁe.zɔʁ/[1]

Forms

trésor m (plural trésors)[1] The Académie wrote thresor in 1694 and 1718, trésor from 1740.[2]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin thēsaurus (“treasure; storehouse”), from Ancient Greek θησαυρός (thēsaurós, “storehouse; treasure”), with ⟨té-⟩ altered to ⟨tré-⟩.[3][4][5] The origin of the ⟨r⟩ in the first syllable is not explained;[4][3][6] Littré took it as an inserted sound, as in fronde.[4][3][6] Wiktionary posits a Gallo-Roman variant *tresaurus.[1] The Romance forms are borrowed rather than inherited, as the meaning shows.[4][3] The origin of the Greek word is unknown; the proposed analyses are judged fragile.[3][7] It displaced Old French escat (“treasure”), from Frankish *skatt.[1] The learned thésaurus is its doublet.[1][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Vie de saint Alexis (about 1050) uses tresors for the wealth of a ruler: De lur tresors prenent l'or e l'argent.[2][8]

Semantic evolution

Early in the 12th century it meant a store of precious things (about 1112) and the place where they are kept (1135), notably the treasure of an abbey or a church.[3][2] It named the archives of a lordship (about 1175, trésor des chartes, 1334).[3][6] From about 1130 it also meant anything precious, including a dear person;[3][9] mon trésor as an endearment is found in 1579, earlier than the TLFi's 1821.[3][9] Joinville (late 13th century) uses it for the royal treasury, and le Trésor public is in Montesquieu (1748).[8] The Civil Code defines a trésor as something hidden found by chance with no provable owner.[7] Borrowed by English as treasure in the 13th century.[7]

Timeline

  • c. 1050 – A ruler's wealth, in the Vie de saint Alexis.[2]
  • c. 1112 – A store of precious things.[3]
  • 1135 – The place where they are kept.[3]
  • 1334 – Archives.[3][8]
  • 1579 – Mon cher thresor, an endearment.[9]
  • 1740 – The spelling trésor in the Académie.[2]
  • 1748 – Le Trésor public, in Montesquieu.[8]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A treasure, a hoard of precious things, often hidden: découvrir un trésor, chasse au trésor.[7][10]
  2. (law) A hidden object found by chance, whose owner cannot be proved.[7]
  3. (in the plural) Great riches: les trésors de l'océan.[11][10]
  4. Something very precious: la santé est un trésor.[11]
  5. (familiar) A delightful person, mon trésor, my darling.[11][3]
  6. The treasure of a church: its relics and precious objects, and the room where they are kept.[6][2]
  7. Le Trésor, le Trésor public: the Treasury, the State's finances.[8][1]

Word family

  • trésorier
  • trésorerie

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f 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 g h i j k l m Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b c d Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  5. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  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 Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  8. ^ a b c d e Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  9. ^ a b c Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF
  10. ^ a b Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)
  11. ^ a b c Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Trésor.” Etymologically, 18 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/tr%C3%A9sor. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·