English
idée mère
Idée mère comes from French idée mère.
- Frenchc. 1600–presentidée mère
- Englishearliest quotation 1863same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Frenchc. 1600–presentidée mère
- Englishearliest quotation 1863same form
Earliest quotation: 1863, John Stewart Mill, Utilitarianism: “The idée mère, the primitive element, in the formation…”
Every English word from French idée mère
Today it means
noun A fundamental idea or guiding principle, seen as giving rise to something.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / French idée mère / idée mère