English
rendezvous
Rendezvous comes from French rendez-vous ‘appointment’, from rendre ‘to go to’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *deh₃- ‘give’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*deh₃-‘give’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*dédeh₃ti‘to be giving’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*didō‘to give’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdō‘give’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEreddōas reddere‘to give back, return, restore’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CErendere
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400rendre‘to give back’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentsame form‘to go to’
- French, derivedc. 1600–presentrendez-vous‘appointment’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1597rendezvous
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*deh₃-‘give’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*dédeh₃ti‘to be giving’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*didō‘to give’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdō‘give’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEreddōas reddere‘to give back, return, restore’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CErendere
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400rendre‘to give back’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentsame form‘to go to’
- French, derivedc. 1600–presentrendez-vous‘appointment’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1597rendezvous
Earliest quotation: c. 1597, William Shakespeare, The First Part of Henry the Fourth, […]: “A rendeuous, a home to fly unto”.
The story
Borrowed from French rendez-vous (‘appointment’), noun derived from second person plural imperative of se rendre (‘to go to’), literally, “[you (imperative)] go to, get yourself to [a place]”.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *deh₃- ‘give’
date, add, addition, donate, donation, donor, delicious, dow, vendor, additive, dowry, rendition, condone, dowager, perdition, addendum, dower, dati, endow, sconce, 39 more
through Proto-Indo-European *dédeh₃ti ‘to be giving’
dose, antidote, anecdote, dacha, 19 more
through Proto-Italic *didō ‘to give’
through Latin dō ‘give’
data, die, tradition, treason, vent, 17 more
through Late Latin rendere
through Old French rendre ‘to give back’
Today it means
noun A meeting or date.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *deh₃- / rendezvous