convenir French · revision 16793

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=mid-11th century, Vie de saint Alexis|origins=la veniō}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /kɔ̃v.niʁ/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''convenir'''^(Wiktionary)

+ Old French often ''covenir''; the ⟨n⟩ was restored after Latin in Middle French.^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(Wiktionary) Traditionally ''convenir de'' takes the auxiliary ''être'' and ''convenir à'' takes ''avoir'', though the rule is often broken.^(DHLF 1992)^(Petit Robert 2007)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|fro|covenir]], [[inh|la|conveniō|t=to come together; to agree; to suit]],^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(Grand Robert 2005)^(FEW|2, 1126b)^(Wiktionary) from [[m|la|com-]] and [[m|la|veniō|t=to come]] (see [[venir]]).^(DHLF 1992)^(Grand Robert 2005)^(GLLF 1989) Bloch and Wartburg think the sense “to be fitting”, then “to be necessary”, dominant in Old French, survived in spoken Latin, and that the personal construction “to agree” (13th century), very rare in Latin, may have developed independently.^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)

+

+ Cognate with [[ro|cuveni]], [[it|convenire]], [[es|convenir]] and [[pt|convir]].^(REW 1935)^(Littré 1873)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The ''Vie de saint Alexis'' (mid-11th century) has the impersonal ''il convient'' “it is fitting, one must”; the ''Chanson de Roland'' has ''il nous i cuvent garde'', “we must take care there”.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)^(Littré 1873)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ From the early 12th century it means “to be suitable for, to please” (''Oxford Psalter'', rendering ''te decet hymnus''), and, from about 1165 “to suit, be appropriate to” a thing or person; with a personal object it passed from “to fit someone's situation” to “to be agreeable or useful to”, and ''se convenir'' was once said of two lovers (1762).^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ In the 13th century it took the sense “to admit the truth of” and, with a plural subject, “to agree on”, ''convint que'' “it was agreed that” is in Philippe Mousket (1243), and the participle ''convenu'' “fixed, agreed” in 1752.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992) The Latin sense “to assemble” (1283) and the legal “to summon” (1432) died out in the classical period, as did “to correspond” (1538).^(DHLF 1992) Its derivatives include [[convenable]] and [[convenance]] (12th century) and [[déconvenue]].^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * Mid-11th century – Impersonal ''il convient'', ''Vie de saint Alexis''.^(TLFi)

+ * Early 12th century – “To be fitting for”, ''Oxford Psalter''.^(TLFi)

+ * c. 1165 – “To suit”, Benoît de Sainte-Maure.^(TLFi)

+ * 1243 – ''Convint que'' “it was agreed”, Philippe Mousket.^(TLFi)

+ * 13th century – “To admit”.^(TLFi)

+ * 1752 – ''Convenu'' “agreed”.^(TLFi)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # ''Convenir à'': to [[m|en|suit]], be suitable for, fit: ''les vêtements qui conviennent à la circonstance''^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(impersonal)'' ''Il convient de'', ''il convient que'': it is advisable, proper^(Wiktionary)^(DHLF 1992)

+ # ''Convenir de'': to [[m|en|admit]], acknowledge.^(Wiktionary)^(DHLF 1992)

+ # ''Convenir de'': to [[m|en|agree]] on, arrange.^(Wiktionary)^(TLFi)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[convenable]]

+ * [[convenance]]

+ * [[convenu]]

+ * [[déconvenue]]

+ * [[inconvenant]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[convention]]

+ * [[venir]]

+ * [[en|covenant]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}