Etymologically
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vêtement

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 18 October 2026 at 14:02. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /vɛt.mɑ̃/[1]

Forms

vêtement m (plural vêtements)[1] Old French vestiment (late 10th century), vestement (about 1100); vêtemant (1636) and vêtement (1671) in the 17th century; the Académie had vestement in 1718.[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French vestement, inherited from Latin vestīmentum (“garment, clothing”), from vestis (“garment”) (see veste).[3][1][4][5] Rey, the Grand Robert and Bloch and Wartburg describe it as a derivative of vêtir modelled on the Latin word.[2][6][7]

The Latin word gave Italian vestimento, Spanish vestimenta and Portuguese vestimenta.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Passion de Clermont (late 10th century) has vestiment for whatever covers and protects the body; in the Chanson de Roland (about 1100) the French cut through cez vestemenz to the bare flesh.[3][8]

Semantic evolution

A collective feminine vestemente is found about 1200, and a Poème moral of the early 13th century speaks of the garments of the soul, piety and charity, the first figurative use.[2][3][8] In modern French the plural is the everyday word for clothes, as opposed to sous-vêtements (1890 in Quebec).[2][9] Heraldry uses it for a shield whose corners are covered by four triangles (1904).[3][1]

Vestimentaire (1830, Balzac) and survêtement (1829, later a tracksuit) belong to the same family.[2]

Timeline

  • late 10th century – Vestiment, Passion de Clermont.[3]
  • c. 1100 – Vestement, Chanson de Roland.[3]
  • early 13th century – Figurative use.[3]
  • 1671 – The spelling vêtement, Pomey.[4]
  • 1890 – Sous-vêtement, in Quebec.[2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A garment, an item of clothing: un vêtement chaud.[1][9]
  2. (plural) clothes: changer de vêtements, (singular, technical) clothing as a whole, the clothing trade.[9][1][10]
  3. (figurative, literary) What covers or disguises.[2][3]
  4. (heraldry) Four triangles covering the corners of a shield.[3][1]

Word family

  • sous-vêtement
  • survêtement
  • vestimentaire

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 Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j 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
  4. ^ a b c Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  5. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 14, 351b
  6. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  7. ^ Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  8. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  9. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  10. ^ Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF