Etymologically
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valeur

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /va.lœʁ/[1]

Forms

valeur f (plural valeurs)[1] Old French valor, valur;[2][3][1] valeur from the 13th century.[2][3][1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French valor, inherited from Latin valor (“worth, value”), through its accusative valōrem, from valeō (“to be strong; to be worth”) (see valoir).[4][2][5][3][1]

Cognate with Italian valore, Spanish valor and Old Occitan valor.[2][5][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Chanson de Roland (about 1100) already has both senses: a person's worth, sa grant valor, ki purreit acunter? “his great worth, who could tell it?”, and the usefulness of a thing, in aveir valur “to be fit for some use”.[4][2][6]

Semantic evolution

From a person's worth came “importance” (about 1155, Wace) and “bravery, valour” (about 1175, Benoît de Sainte-Maure), literary since the 17th century;[4][2] une valeur was a person of merit in d'Aubigné (about 1578).[4][2] About 1260 it took the sense of what a thing is worth in money, and de valeur “very precious” is in Furetière (1690).[4][2] Regnard (1705) uses valeurs for stocks and shares.[4]

Specialized senses followed: the value of a word in usage (about 1690), and since Saussure in its system; the length of a note in music (1740); the degree of lightness of a colour in painting (1792); a numerical value in mathematics (1845).[4][2][7] Mettre en valeur meant “to raise to a high position” in 1485 and “to bring (land) into cultivation” in 1690.[4][2] In Quebec c'est de valeur means “it's a pity”.[2]

Timeline

  • c. 1100 – Valor “worth”, in the Chanson de Roland.[4]
  • c. 1175 – “Bravery”, in Benoît de Sainte-Maure.[4]
  • c. 1260 – Monetary value.[4][2]
  • c. 1400 – The adjective valeureux.[5]
  • 1690 – Mettre en valeur (land), in Furetière.[4]
  • 1705 – Valeurs “securities”, in Regnard.[4]
  • 1740 – The value of a note, in the Académie dictionary.[4][7]
  • 1792 – Tonal value in painting.[4]
  • 1845 – A numerical value.[4]

Meanings

Noun

  1. Worth, merit, what makes a person estimable: un homme de valeur.[8][1]
  2. (literary) Valour, bravery.[1][2]
  3. The value of a thing, especially in money: valeur d'un bijou, objets de valeur.[8][1]
  4. (finance) A security: valeurs mobilières, valeur sûre, a safe investment.[4][1]
  5. Importance, interest, validity: jugement de valeur, mettre en valeur, to highlight, to develop.[2][1]
  6. A moral or social ideal: les valeurs.[8]
  7. (music) The length of a note, (painting) the tonal value of a colour, (mathematics) a numerical value: valeur absolue.[4][1]
  8. (Quebec) C'est de valeur: it's a pity.[2]

Word family

  • valeureux
  • valoriser

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ 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
  3. ^ a b c Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  4. ^ 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
  5. ^ a b c Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  6. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  7. ^ a b Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF
  8. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert