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vieillir

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Etymology and origin of the French word vieillir

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
c. 1225 Huon de Bordeaux More words from the 13th century
Ultimate origin
Latin vetus

Pronunciation

Forms

vieillir[1]

Etymology

It is formed from French vieil + -ir, the base being a form of vieux.[2][3][4][1] The adjective comes from Latin vetulus, a familiar diminutive of vetus (“old”).[5]

The Grand Robert, the GLLF and the DHLF date the verb from Wace, about 1155, in the sense “to wear out”, said of clothes.[3][4][6] The TLFi reads Wace's form as viescir, formed on Old French viez (from the same Latin adjective), and starts the history of the verb itself about 1225.[2]

Wiktionary compares Catalan envellir, Spanish envejecer and Portuguese envelhecer,[1] while Occitan velhezir and Walloon vîli are cited by Littré.[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

About 1225 Huon de Bordeaux uses it of a person, “to grow old”.[2] The DHLF and the Petit Robert date this sense to about 1216.[6][8]

Semantic evolution

The transitive use, “to make older”, is found in Guillaume de Lorris's Roman de la Rose (1225–1230), and “to make look older” about 1240; this sense was taken up again in modern French (Littré, 1872).[2][6] From the end of the 15th century it also meant “to change with age, decline”.[6][4] Of a passion or a talent it meant “to lose strength with time” from 1559 (Amyot).[2][6]

Marot used it about 1530–1542 for “to stay a long time, linger” or “to find time long”, and in the mid-16th century it came to mean “to remain long (in a situation or state)”, as in vieillir sur un livre (1560).[6][2] Since 1647 (Vaugelas) it has also been said of words and usages that go out of fashion,[2][6] and since 1812 of a wine that matures.[2] The phrases bien vieillir and mal vieillir are modern.[6][4]

Timeline

  • c. 1155 – Wace uses a verb meaning “to wear out”, of clothes, which most dictionaries take to be vieillir.[3][4][6][2]
  • c. 1225 – Huon de Bordeaux uses it for “to grow old”.[2]
  • 1225–1230 – Transitive use in the Roman de la Rose.[2]
  • c. 1530 – Marot uses it for “to stay a long time”.[6]
  • 1559 – Amyot uses it of a passion that loses its strength.[2][6]
  • 1647 – Vaugelas uses it of a word going out of use.[2]
  • 1812 – First said of a wine.[2]
  • 1872 – Littré records “to make look older”.[2]

Meanings

Verb

  1. (intransitive) To grow old, to age.[8][7][1]
  2. (intransitive) To show the marks of age; to decline.[8][6]
  3. (intransitive) Vieillir dans: to spend a long time in a post, a situation or a belief.[7][8]
  4. (intransitive, of a feeling or talent) To lose strength with time.[7][2]
  5. (intransitive, of a word or fashion) To become outdated.[2][4]
  6. (intransitive, of wine or cheese) To mature with time: laisser vieillir un vin.[7][2]
  7. (transitive) To make someone look older: cette coiffure la vieillit.[1][2]
  8. (reflexive) Se vieillir: to make oneself look older.[1]

Word family

  • vieillissant
  • vieillissement

Usage notes

Littré notes that Vaugelas called vieillir a new word not found in the older authors, a claim that the verb's history disproves.[7]

References

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

“Vieillir.” Etymologically, 15 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/vieillir. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

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