temps French · revision 15995

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=late 10th century, Vie de saint Léger|origins=la tempus}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA (France): /tɑ̃/^(Wiktionary)

+ * IPA (Quebec): /tã/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''temps''' ''m'' (invariable)^(Wiktionary)

+ [[fro|tens]], [[m|fro|tans]] (common until the 16th century); ''temps'' after Latin from the 14th century (once about 980), competing with ''tems'' in the 17th and 18th.^(DHLF 1992)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(Grand Robert 2005)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|fro|tens]], [[inh|la|tempus|t=time; period, moment; the right moment; weather]] (genitive “temporis”).^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(FEW|13/1, 185a) Latin “tempus” was a portion of time, as opposed to “aevum”, time in its continuity (see [[âge]]), and also a metrical length and a verbal tense, French “temps” combines the values of both Latin words.^(DHLF 1992) The origin of “tempus” is obscure, and a link with “temperare” (see [[tempérer]]) is uncertain.^(DHLF 1992)^(Petit Robert 2007)

+

+ Cognate with [[it|tempo]], [[pro|temps]], [[ca|temps]], [[es|tiempo]], [[pt|tempo]] and [[ro|timp]].^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Littré 1873) [[en|tense]] (14th century) is from Old French.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(AND)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The ''Vie de saint Léger'' (late 10th century) has ''a ciels temps'', in those times, for a period of the past, and ''Et or es temps'', now is the right time;^(TLFi) the ''Vie de saint Alexis'' (about 1050) begins ''Bons fut li secles al tens ancïenur''.^(TLFi)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ In the ''Chanson de Roland'' (about 1100) ''sun tens'' is a person's lifetime, and ''venir a tens'' “to come in time”.^(TLFi)^(Littré 1873) About 1160 (''Eneas'') ''lait tens'' was bad weather, whence ''après la pluie vient le beau temps'' (1536), and about 1200 a season.^(TLFi) Guillaume de Lorris (1225–1230) personifies ''Li tens, qui tote chose mue'', and gives ''avoir bon tens'' “to be happy”, later ''prendre du bon temps'' (1561).^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992) In grammar it is a tense (14th century), in music and fencing a beat (1677), in astronomy ''temps vrai'' (1755), in engines ''moteur à quatre temps'' (1886–1889) and in sport the time of a race (1860).^(TLFi)^(BHVF)

+

+ Countless phrases include ''de temps en temps'', ''au bon vieux temps'' (Marot), ''il est temps de'' (1382), ''prendre son temps'' (1670), ''dans le temps'' “formerly” and ''en deux temps'' (1789).^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)^(BHVF) Pascal (1657–1658) records the philosophers' debate on the essence of time.^(TLFi)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * Late 10th century – ''Temps'' in the ''Vie de saint Léger''.^(TLFi)

+ * c. 1050 – ''Al tens ancïenur'' in ''Saint Alexis''.^(TLFi)

+ * c. 1100 – A lifetime, in the ''Chanson de Roland''.^(TLFi)

+ * c. 1160 – “Weather”, in ''Eneas''.^(TLFi)

+ * 1225–1230 – Time personified, in Guillaume de Lorris.^(TLFi)

+ * 14th century – A grammatical tense.^(TLFi)

+ * 1538 – ''Au bon vieulx temps'' in Marot.^(TLFi)

+ * 1677 – A musical beat.^(TLFi)

+ * 1889 – ''Moteur à quatre temps''.^(TLFi)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # [[m|en|time|alt=Time]]: ''le temps passe'', ''avoir le temps'', ''perdre son temps'', ''de temps en temps''.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Wiktionary)

+ # A period, time, age: ''au temps des Romains'', ''dans le temps'': in the old days, ''le bon vieux temps''.^(TLFi)^(Wiktionary)

+ # The right time: ''il est temps de partir'', ''à temps'': in time.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)

+ # [[m|en|weather|alt=Weather]]: ''quel temps fait-il ?'', ''beau temps'', ''mauvais temps''.^(Wiktionary)^(TLFi)

+ # ''(grammar)'' A [[m|en|tense]]: ''les temps du verbe''.^(Wiktionary)^(TLFi)

+ # ''(music)'' A beat, ''(sport)'' a time: ''réaliser un bon temps'', ''(engines)'' a stroke: ''moteur à quatre temps''.^(TLFi)^(Larousse)

+ # ''Mi-temps'': half time, ''à plein temps'', ''à temps partiel'': full-time, part-time.^(Wiktionary)^(Larousse)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[longtemps]]

+ * [[mi-temps]]

+ * [[printemps]]

+ * [[contretemps]]

+ * [[quatre-temps]]

+ * [[passe-temps]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[temporel]]

+ * [[temporaire]]

+ * [[heure]]

+ * [[minute]]

+ * [[tempête]]

+ * [[la|tempus]]

+ * [[en|tense]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}