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treize

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Etymology and origin of the French word treize

Confidence
Established
Formation
Inherited
First attested
1160–1174 Wace, Roman de Rou More words from the 12th century
Inherited from
Latin tredecim via Old French
Ultimate origin
Latin trēdecim

Pronunciation

Forms

treize (invariable)[1] Old French treze and treize.[2][1] Anglo-Norman also has trez, tresze and tredze.[3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French treze, inherited from Latin trēdecim (“thirteen”), a compound of trēs (“three”) and decem (“ten”).[2][4][5][6] Littré explains the French form from the stress on the first syllable of the Latin word.[7]

Cognate with Italian tredici, Old Occitan treze, Catalan tretze, Spanish trece and Portuguese treze.[8][7][9]

Earliest recorded meaning

The TLFi's first record is treze in Wace's Roman de Rou (1160–1174), meaning “twelve plus one”;[2] the form treize follows in Benoît de Sainte-Maure's Roman de Troie about 1165.[2] The Anglo-Norman Dictionary has the word from about 1136.[3] The Livre des Rois speaks of les treze lignées, the thirteen tribes descended from Jacob.[7]

Semantic evolution

Like the other numerals, treize serves as a cardinal number, as an ordinal and as a noun.[4] The phrase treize à la douzaine (about 1670) meant giving thirteen items for the price of a dozen,[4][2] and Meyer-Lübke notes that in French, Occitan and Catalan the word could also mean a full dozen with its extra piece.[8] Other phrases reflect the belief that the number brings bad luck, such as être treize à table (1690);[4][2] Littré links the fear to Judas, the thirteenth at the Last Supper.[7]

The ordinal use “thirteenth” is recorded by the Académie in 1718,[2] with earlier examples such as Louis, treize du nom (1659).[10] As a noun it names the thirteenth day of the month (1832) and the number itself (1835).[2] In sport, jeu à treize (1934) is rugby played with thirteen men a side.[4]

Timeline

  • 1160–1174 – Treze appears in Wace's Roman de Rou.[2]
  • c. 1165 – The spelling treize appears in the Roman de Troie.[2]
  • before 1672 – Guy Patin uses treize à la douzaine.[2]
  • 1690 – Furetière records être treize à table.[2][4]
  • 1718 – The Académie records the ordinal use “thirteenth”.[2]
  • 1832 – Raymond records it as a noun for the thirteenth day of the month.[2]
  • 1863 – Baudelaire writes Vendredi, treize.[2]
  • 1934 – Jeu à treize is used of rugby league.[4]

Meanings

Numeral

  1. thirteen, ten plus three: une fille de treize ans.[2][11][12]
  2. (ordinal) thirteenth: page treize, Louis XIII.[11][12]
  3. Treize à la douzaine: thirteen for the price of twelve, and by extension far too many.[11][12]
  4. Être treize à table: to be thirteen at a meal, thought to bring bad luck.[11][2]
  5. Rugby à treize: rugby league.[13]

Noun

  1. The number thirteen, and what bears it: the thirteenth day of the month, a house number, a runner or horse.[12][2]

Word family

  • treizième
  • treizain
  • treiziste

References

  1. ^ a b c 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 q r 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 Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  5. ^ 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. 13/2, 234a
  7. ^ a b c d Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  8. ^ a b Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
  9. ^ Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  10. ^ Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF, p. vol. 40
  11. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  12. ^ a b c d Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
  13. ^ Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Treize.” Etymologically, 11 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/treize. Accessed 12 Nov. 2026.

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