Etymologically
Log in

trouveur

History Permalink

Etymology and origin of the French word trouveur

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
c. 1150 Everart de Kirkham, Distiques de Caton More words from the 12th century
Ultimate origins
Latin *tropoFrench -eur
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
French trouver
French trouveur
From the same root
French retrouver ← trouver
French trouvère ← trouver

Pronunciation

  • /tʁu.vœʁ/[1]

Forms

trouveur m (plural trouveurs, feminine trouveuse)[1] Feminine trouveuse.[2][1] Old French troveor, with the nominative troverre.[2][3]

Etymology

It is formed from French trouver + -eur.[2][4][5] Its Old French accusative was troveor, and the nominative of the same noun survives as trouvère.[3][1] Wiktionary also suggests that this form may continue Vulgar Latin *tropātor of Gaul, from *tropō, from Latin tropus (“a figure of speech”); the Occitan counterpart, Old Occitan trobador, gave troubadour.[1][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The TLFi's first record is truvur “liar” in Everart de Kirkham's Anglo-Norman Distiques de Caton, of the second third of the 12th century.[2] The GLLF has troveor “author, storyteller” in Benoît de Sainte-Maure about 1160.[5]

Semantic evolution

In the 13th century troveor meant someone who finds something, and at the end of the 12th century an inventor or discoverer.[2] Beaumanoir's customs of 1283 use trouveres of the finder of a lost thing.[2][6] In 1332 chiens trouvëours were hounds with a keen nose.[2]

Bloch and Wartburg call the word little used.[3] Furetière gave it the sense “trouvère, troubadour” in 1690,[2][5] and Balzac called Walter Scott a modern trouveur.[2]

Timeline

  • c. 1150 – Truvur “liar” in Everart de Kirkham.[2]
  • c. 1160 – Troveor “author” in Benoît de Sainte-Maure.[5]
  • Late 12th century – Troverre “inventor, discoverer”.[2]
  • 1283 – Beaumanoir uses trouveres for the finder of a lost thing.[2][6]
  • 1332 – Chiens trouvëours, hounds with a keen nose.[2]
  • 15th century – The modern form trouveur.[4][7]
  • 1690 – Furetière records the sense “trouvère”.[2][5]

Meanings

Noun

  1. Someone who finds something, by chance or by searching: le trouveur d'une montre.[2][5]
  2. Someone who invents or devises something by effort of mind or inspiration.[2][7][5]
  3. (rare) A trouvère or troubadour.[2][6]
  4. (astronomy) A small finder telescope fixed to a larger one.[6]

Adjective

  1. (hunting) Chiens trouveurs: hounds with a very keen nose.[6][2]

References

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

“Trouveur.” Etymologically, 14 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/trouveur. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

Last edited on . ·