ainsi French · revision 16385

+ {{infobox|confidence=uncertain|formation=compound|attested=mid-11th century, Vie de saint Alexis (ensi)|origins=la sīc}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ɛ̃.si/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''ainsi'''^(Wiktionary)

+ Old French ''ensi'' (mid-11th century), ''einsi'' (1080), ''issi'', ''ainsi'' from the 13th–14th century.^(TLFi)^(Grand Robert 2005)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(GLLF 1989)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It continues Old French [[m|fro|ensi]], [[m|fro|einsi]], of complex origin.^(DHLF 1992)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989) The second element is “si”, from [[la|sīc|t=thus]]; the first is uncertain.^(DHLF 1992)^(Grand Robert 2005)^(Petit Robert 2007)^(FEW|11, 574b) Bloch and Wartburg, followed by the GLLF, explain “einsi” as a crossing of eastern “ensi” (from “en” and “si”) with western and Norman “eissi”, borrowed from [[pro|aissi]], from a popular Latin “*accum sīc”, with “accum” a variant of [[m|la|ecce|t=behold]].^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(GLLF 1989)^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ Wiktionary suggests Latin “ad” + “in” + “sīc”, Pierre Guiraud saw the influence of Old French [[ains]] “but, rather”, giving the sense “in this way rather than another”.^(Wiktionary)^(DHLF 1992)^(Grand Robert 2005) Diez proposed Latin “aequē sīc”, which Littré rejected in favour of “in sīc”.^(Littré 1873) Compare [[it|così]], [[es|así]], [[ca|així]] and [[pt|assim]].^(Wiktionary)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ In the mid-11th century the ''Vie de saint Alexis'' has ''Iluec converset ensi dis e set anz'' “he lived there thus for seventeen years”, in the sense “in this way”.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ From the first texts it was an adverb of manner, “in this way”.^(DHLF 1992) From 1539 it introduced a wish with the subjunctive: ''ainsi soit-il'', the formula ending prayers, which renders [[amen]].^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)^(GLLF 1989) The conjunction ''ainsi que'' meant “just as” (about 1200) and “at the moment when” (1330); the temporal sense died out in the 17th century.^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ It also marks a conclusion (''ainsi donc'') and, in literary style, introduces the second term of a comparison (''comme… ainsi'').^(GLLF 1989)^(Larousse) Phrases include ''pour ainsi dire'', ''et ainsi de suite'' and ''s'il en est ainsi''.^(GLLF 1989)^(Petit Robert 2007)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * Mid-11th century – ''Ensi'' in the ''Vie de saint Alexis''.^(TLFi)

+ * c. 1100 – ''Issi'' and ''einsi'' in the ''Chanson de Roland''.^(Littré 1873)^(GLLF 1989)

+ * 1155 – ''Ainsins'' in Wace.^(TLFi)

+ * c. 1200 – ''Ainsi que'' “just as”.^(DHLF 1992)

+ * 14th century – The form ''ainsi'' prevails.^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(GLLF 1989)

+ * 1539 – ''Ainsi soit-il''.^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Adverb===

+ # [[m|en|thus]], in this way, so: ''c'est ainsi'', ''il en est ainsi''.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Wiktionary)

+ # So, therefore: ''ainsi donc, tu as changé d'avis ?''^(Larousse)^(GLLF 1989)

+ # ''(literary)'' Likewise: ''comme…, ainsi…''^(Larousse)

+ # ''Ainsi que'': as, as well as: ''ainsi que je l'ai dit''.^(GLLF 1989)^(Petit Robert 2007)

+ # ''Ainsi soit-il'': [[m|en|amen]], ''pour ainsi dire'': so to speak, ''et ainsi de suite'': and so on.^(GLLF 1989)^(Petit Robert 2007)

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[si]]

+ * [[aussi]]

+ * [[ains]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}