Etymologically
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trop

Etymology and origin of the French word trop

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
c. 1100, Chanson de Roland
Borrowed from
Frankish *þorp
Ultimate origin
Frankish (*þorp)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /tʁo/[1]
  • IPA: /tʁɔ.p‿/[1]
  • IPA: /tʁo.p‿/[1]
  • IPA: /tʁɔ/[1]

Forms

trop[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Frankish *þorp (“heap, gathering; village”), with metathesis; the Frankish word also gave Medieval Latin troppus (“herd, flock”), recorded from about 700 (“troppo de jumentis” “a herd of mares”, about 720, in the “Lex Alamannorum”).[2][3][4][5][6] The idea of a gathering led to that of excess.[7][8]

The Frankish word comes from Proto-Germanic *þurpą (“village”) and is related to Gothic 𐌸𐌰𐌿𐍂𐍀 (þaurp), Old English þorp (“village”), German Dorf, Dutch dorp and English thorp.[1][3][2] Rey also mentions Welsh tref (“town”) and Old Breton “treb” “dwelling”, which may point to a related Gaulish stem.[3] Old Occitan trop and Italian troppo were taken from French.[4][7] The same Frankish word is behind troupe and troupeau.[2][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found about 1100 in the Chanson de Roland, meaning “excessively”: trop nus est loinz Carles “Charles is too far from us”.[2]

Semantic evolution

In the same text trop also meant simply “very, much” without any idea of excess (trop avez tendre coer).[2][3] This sense, alive in classical French in trop bien (about 1175), trop mieux (about 1360) and trop plus (1381), is now considered incorrect, except in polite formulas (vous êtes trop aimable, 1671), in endearments (il est trop mignon) and in ne … que trop (1580).[3][2] Young people's French has used trop almost as an adjective since about 1970 (il est trop), perhaps after English too much.[3]

Other phrases include trop peu (about 1274), par trop (about 1350), trop … pour (1456), c'en est trop (1655), de trop “in excess” (1643) and être de trop “to be unwelcome” (1670).[2][9][3] As a noun, le trop “excess” is found about 1250, and trop c'est trop in 1678 (earlier trop est trop, 1611).[3]

Timeline

  • c. 720 – Medieval Latin troppo “herd” in the Lex Alamannorum.[2]
  • c. 1100 – Trop in the Chanson de Roland.[2]
  • c. 1250 – The noun le trop.[3][2]
  • c. 1350 – Par trop.[2]
  • 1643 – De trop “in excess”.[9]
  • 1670 – Être de trop in Molière.[2]
  • 1671 – Trop-plein, figuratively, in Mme de Sévigné.[3]
  • c. 1970 – Il est trop in young people's French.[3]

Meanings

Adverb

  1. Too, excessively: trop cher, trop tard.[10][7]
  2. Too much: Elle a trop bu.[10]
  3. Trop de: too much, too many: trop de monde.[3][2]
  4. Very, really, in polite formulas and colloquially: Vous êtes trop aimable, il est trop mignon.[11][3][1]
  5. De trop, en trop: in excess, être de trop, to be in the way, unwelcome.[11][2]
  6. Ne … que trop: only too well: Je ne le sais que trop.[11][3]
  7. Pas trop: not very, not much.[3][5]

Noun

  1. Le trop: Excess: le trop et le trop peu.[8][2]

Word family

  • trop-plein
  • trop-perçu
  • troupe
  • troupeau

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o 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 n o Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  5. ^ a b 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. 17, 395b
  7. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  8. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  9. ^ a b 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

“Trop.” Etymologically, 18 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/trop. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·