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violence

Etymology and origin of the French word violence

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
1215, Recueil d'actes (Tailliar)
Borrowed from
Latin violentia
Ultimate origin
Latin (violentus)
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin violentus
French violent
Latin violentia
English violence
French violence

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /vjɔ.lɑ̃s/[1]

Forms

violence f (plural violences)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin violentia (“vehemence; violent force”), from violentus (“violent”) (see violent).[2][3][4][5] Wiktionary treats it as inherited from Old French.[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

A charter of 1215 (in a 13th–14th-century copy) has it in the phrase “by force”, the abuse of strength;[2][3][6] Anglo-Norman texts have it from 1214.[2][3][6]

Semantic evolution

In 1314 Henri de Mondeville's Chirurgie uses it for the action of an unrestrained force, as when bandages must be removed sans violence;[2][5] Amyot (1559) has it for a brutal act.[2][5] Violences de pucelles meant rapes in 1446.[2] Robert Estienne (1538) records faire violence à quelqu'un “to force someone”, and se faire violence “to restrain oneself” is from 1637;[2][7] faire violence aux lois de la nature (1624) and to a doctrine (1625) extended it to forcing a meaning.[2][7]

From 1600 it was said of the irresistible force of things, such as the violence of the waters in Olivier de Serres, and, from 1607–1609 of vices and of the brutal expression of feelings.[2][5] The Civil Code (1804) uses it in law for duress.[4] Se faire une douce violence, to accept with pleasure after pretending to resist, comes from Molière (1668).[4][8]

Timeline

  • 1214 – Anglo-Norman violence.[6]
  • 1215 – “By force”, in a charter.[2][3]
  • 1314 – The action of a force, in Henri de Mondeville.[2]
  • 1446 – Violences de pucelles “rapes”.[2]
  • 1538 – Faire violence à quelqu'un, in Robert Estienne.[2][8]
  • 1637 – Se faire violence.[2]
  • 1804 – Duress, in the Civil Code.[4]

Meanings

Noun

  1. Violence, brutal force used against someone: acte de violence, violence conjugale, domestic violence.[8][1]
  2. An act of violence: subir des violences.[1][2]
  3. Faire violence à: to force, coerce, se faire violence, to restrain oneself, force oneself.[8][2]
  4. The intensity, fury (of a natural force or a feeling): la violence de l'orage.[2][4]
  5. (law) Duress.[4]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e 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 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 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. ^ a b c d Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  6. ^ a b c Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)
  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 d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Violence.” Etymologically, 18 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/violence. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·