quiconque French · revision 16883

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=compound|attested=c. 1170, Quatre Livres des Rois}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ki.kɔ̃k/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''quiconque''' ''m or f'' (invariable)^(Wiktionary)

+ Old French [[m|fro|kiqunques]], [[m|fro|quiconques]];^(TLFi)^(GLLF 1989) ''quiconque'' from 1250.^(TLFi)^(GLLF 1989)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It comes from the Old French relative phrase [[m|fro|qui qu’onques|t=whoever ever]], from [[qui]] and [[onques]] “ever” (see [[onc]]).^(TLFi)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(Grand Robert 2005)^(Wiktionary) It was later brought close to [[la|quīcumque|t=whoever]], written as one word and lost its final adverbial s.^(TLFi)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(Grand Robert 2005)^(Wiktionary) Littré takes it straight from the Latin pronoun.^(Littré 1873) Compare [[it|chiunque]], a similar formation.^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The ''Quatre Livres des Rois'' (about 1170) have ''kiqunques eschaperad de la spée Azaël'' “whoever escapes the sword of Hazael”, in the sense “anyone who”.^(TLFi)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Benoît de Sainte-Maure has it about 1175, and the ''Livre des métiers'' (13th century) writes ''quiconques est esqueliers à Paris'' “whoever is a bowl-maker in Paris”.^(TLFi)^(Littré 1873) Early in the 15th century, in the ''Quinze Joies de mariage'', it meant “no matter who”.^(TLFi) The indefinite pronoun “anyone, anybody”, with no relative clause, is in Bourdaloue at the end of the 17th century, as in ''railler de quiconque''.^(TLFi)^(Petit Robert 2007) It is usually masculine, but may be feminine when it clearly refers to a woman.^(GLLF 1989)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 1170 – ''Kiqunques'' “whoever”, in the ''Quatre Livres des Rois''.^(TLFi)

+ * c. 1175 – In Benoît de Sainte-Maure.^(TLFi)

+ * 1250 – The form ''quiconque''.^(GLLF 1989)

+ * early 15th century – “No matter who”.^(TLFi)

+ * late 17th century – Indefinite “anyone”, in Bourdaloue.^(TLFi)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Pronoun===

+ # ''(relative)'' [[m|en|whoever|alt=Whoever]], anyone who: ''quiconque frappera par l'épée périra par l'épée''.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(GLLF 1989)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(indefinite)'' Anyone, anybody: ''sans en faire part à quiconque'', ''mieux que quiconque''.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(TLFi)

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[qui]]

+ * [[onques]]

+ * [[la|quīcumque]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}