Etymologically
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vendre

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 18 October 2026 at 14:03. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /vɑ̃dʁ/[1]
  • IPA (Louisiana): [vɔ̃n][1]

Forms

vendre[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Latin vendō (“to put up for sale; to praise, cry up”).[2][3][4][5] The Latin verb is a contraction of “venum dare”, from vēnum (“sale”) (whence vénal) and dō (“to give”).[2][3][6]

Cognate with Old Occitan vendre, Spanish vender and Italian vendere.[7][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Its first record, in the Passion of Clermont (late 10th century), is figurative: to give someone up for money, to betray.[3][6][2] The Chanson de Roland still uses it so: Ganelon alat vendre Charlemagne's household at Saragossa.[7]

Semantic evolution

The proper sense, to give something in exchange for money, and to trade in goods, appears in the 11th century, in the Laws of William.[3][8] Se vendre cher “to sell one's life dearly” is in the Chanson de Roland (1080), whence vendre chèrement sa vie (1630) and familiar vendre cher sa peau (mid-16th century).[3]

From the 13th century it was used of selling a service or right (1260) and, with sa char, of prostitution (about 1265), later se vendre (14th century).[3] Se vendre also meant to give up one's freedom for money (1552), and in the 19th century to sign up as a paid substitute in the army.[3][9] In the 20th century it came to mean to market anything, a region or an idea (1927).[9]

Timeline

  • c. 980 – “To betray”, in the Passion of Clermont.[2][8]
  • c. 1080 – Se vendre cher, Chanson de Roland.[3]
  • c. 1265 – Vendre sa char, Jean de Meun.[3]
  • 1538 – Être à quelqu'un à vendre et à dépendre.[3]
  • 1630 – Vendre chèrement sa vie.[3]
  • 1927 – Selling a region to tourists.[9]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To sell: to give up the ownership of something for money: vendre sa maison, à vendre, for sale.[10][11]
  2. To deal in, trade in (goods): il vend des fruits.[3][8]
  3. To betray for money; to denounce: vendre un complice.[1][8]
  4. Se vendre: to be sold (ce modèle se vend bien); to put oneself at someone's service for gain.[12]
  5. In phrases: vendre la mèche (to give the game away), vendre la peau de l'ours (to count one's chickens before they are hatched).[1][10]

Word family

  • revendre
  • vendable
  • vendeur
  • invendu
  • vente
  • vénal
  • Latin vendō
  • English vend

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d 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 Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  5. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 14, 231b
  6. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  7. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  8. ^ a b c d Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  9. ^ a b c Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF
  10. ^ a b Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  11. ^ Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
  12. ^ Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)