Etymologically
Log in

vaguement

History Permalink

Etymology and origin of the French word vaguement

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1422–1425 Le Pastoralet More words from the 15th century
Ultimate origin
Latin vagus
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin vagus
French vague
Romanian vag
French vaguement
Italian vago
From the same root
Latin montivagus ← vagus
Latin vagor ← vagus

Pronunciation

  • /vaɡ.mɑ̃/[1]

Forms

vaguement[1]

Etymology

It is formed from French vague3 (“vague, indistinct”) + -ment.[2][1][3] The adjective is from Latin vagus (“wandering, vagrant”).[3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Le Pastoralet (1422–1425) has aller vaghement “to go about wandering”, a sense found only in Middle French.[2] In 1455 Jean Miélot writes aler vaguement et impourveument, “in an undetermined way”;[2] the Grand Robert and the GLLF date Miélot's text to 1448.[3][5]

Semantic evolution

The modern senses come from that of “indeterminately”.[2] The Académie records il n'en a parlé que vaguement “without the expected details” in 1718;[2][6] it then came to mean having only a vague idea of things (1747), faintly (1758), confusedly or indefinably (1768) and uncertainly (1818).[2] Vaguement inquiet is in Roucher (1779), and “indistinctly, barely visibly” is in Stendhal's Le Rouge et le Noir (1830).[2]

Timeline

  • 1422–1425 – Vaghement “wanderingly” in Le Pastoralet.[2]
  • 1455 – Jean Miélot uses it for “in an undetermined way”.[2]
  • 1718 – The Académie records it for speaking without precision.[2]
  • 1758 – Helvétius uses it for “faintly”.[2]
  • 1768 – Diderot uses it for “confusedly”.[2]
  • 1779 – Vaguement inquiet in Roucher.[2]
  • 1830 – Stendhal uses it for “indistinctly”.[2]

Meanings

Adverb

  1. vaguely, without precision: elle m'a vaguement expliqué son projet.[6][2]
  2. Confusedly, as one perceives or remembers something dimly: je me souviens vaguement de cette maison.[6][2]
  3. Slightly, faintly: vaguement ému.[6][5]
  4. In an uncertain way: un visage vaguement familier.[6]

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 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 Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ 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. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Vaguement.” Etymologically, 14 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/vaguement. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

Last edited on . ·