toujours French · revision 16272

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=compound|attested=c. 1100, Chanson de Roland}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /tu.ʒuʁ/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''toujours'''^(Wiktionary)

+ Old French [[m|fro|tuzjurz]], [[m|fro|tozjorz]], [[m|fro|tousjours]]; the Académie wrote ''tousjours'' in 1694 and 1718, ''toûjours'' in 1740 and ''toujours'' from 1762.^(GLLF 1989)^(TLFi)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is formed [[af|fr|tout|jour]], from the plural Old French “tuz jurz”, literally “all days”.^(TLFi)^(Grand Robert 2005)^(Wiktionary)^(FEW|3, 104a) It replaced Old French [[m|fro|sempre|t=always]], from [[la|semper]], which early shifted to “at once” (still found in 1466), and the compound [[m|fro|tousdis]], formed with [[m|fro|di|t=day]], which survives in Picard and Walloon.^(TLFi)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989) “Toujours” became the word of nearly the whole Gallo-Romance area.^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989) Old French also said “toute jour”, treating “jour” as feminine like Latin “diēs”.^(Littré 1873)

+

+ Cognate with [[ca|totjorn]] and [[oc|totjorn]].^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ It is first found about 1100 in the ''Chanson de Roland'', meaning “without ceasing”: ''Il priera tuz jurs pur nos pechez'' “he will pray always for our sins”.^(TLFi)^(Littré 1873)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ ''A toz jorz mais'' “for ever” (about 1165) was rare and gave way to ''pour toujours'' (1668, La Fontaine).^(TLFi) In the 17th century the word developed an expletive use, “in any case, anyway” (1666, Molière), with the phrase ''toujours est-il que'' (1681, Bossuet), and the sense “still, even now” (1667, Racine).^(TLFi)^(BHVF) ''Depuis toujours'' is recorded in 1936 (Aragon).^(GLLF 1989)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 881 – Old French ''sempre'', the word ''toujours'' would replace, in the ''Eulalie''.^(TLFi)

+ * c. 1100 – ''Tuz jurz'' in the ''Chanson de Roland''.^(TLFi)

+ * c. 1165 – ''A toz jorz mais'' “for ever”, in Benoît de Sainte-Maure.^(TLFi)

+ * 1666 – Expletive “anyway” in Molière's ''Le Médecin malgré lui''.^(TLFi)

+ * 1667 – “Still” in Racine's ''Andromaque''.^(TLFi)

+ * 1668 – ''Pour toujours'' in La Fontaine.^(TLFi)

+ * 1681 – ''Toujours est-il que'' in Bossuet.^(TLFi)

+ * 1762 – The Académie adopts the spelling ''toujours''.^(TLFi)

+ * 1936 – ''Depuis toujours'' in Aragon.^(GLLF 1989)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Adverb===

+ # [[m|en|always|alt=Always]], at all times: ''Ces abus ont toujours existé.''^(Larousse)^(Petit Robert 2007)

+ # Every time, without exception: ''Quand il vient, il passe toujours me voir.''^(Larousse)^(Petit Robert 2007)

+ # [[m|en|still|alt=Still]], even now: ''Il est toujours malade'', ''toujours pas'', still not.^(Larousse)^(TLFi)

+ # In any case, anyway: ''toujours est-il que…'', the fact remains that.^(TLFi)^(Larousse)

+ # Of an unlikely possibility: ''Tu peux toujours essayer.''^(Larousse)

+ # ''Pour toujours'': for ever.^(TLFi)

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[tout]]

+ * [[jour]]

+ * [[la|semper]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}