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Origin and history of entente

entente(n.)

"an understanding," 1854, from French éntente "an understanding," from Old French entente "intent, intention; attention; aim, goal" (12c.), noun use of fem. past participle of entendre "to direct one's attention" (see intent). Political sense arose in 19c. from entente cordiale (1844); the best-known example was that between England and France (1904), to which Russia was added in 1908.

also from 1854

Entries linking to entente

intent(n.)

"purpose," early 13c., from Old French entent, entente "goal, end, aim, purpose; attention, application," and directly from Latin intentus "a stretching out," in Late Latin "intention, purpose," noun use of past participle of intendere "stretch out, lean toward, strain," literally "to stretch out" (see intend). In law, "state of mind with respect to intelligent volition" (17c.).

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    double entendre
    indecent, 1670s, from French (where it was rare and is now obsolete), literally "a twofold meaning," from entendre (now entente...The proper Modern French phrase would be double entente, but the phrase has become established in English in its old form...
    scanty
    ben thise kutted sloppes or hanselyns, that thurgh hire shortnesse ne couere nat the shameful membres of man to wikked entente...
    but
    Som man preiseth his neighebore by a wikked entente, foralwey he maketh a 'but' at the laste ende, that is digne of moore...
    frog
    more right to the possession of the country ; both however are of a pacific disposition, so that they live on in a perfect entente...
    alliance
    c. 1300, "bond of marriage" (between ruling houses or noble families), from Old French aliance (12c., Modern French alliance) "alliance, bond; marriage, union," from aliier (Modern French allier) "combine, unite" (see ally (v.)). The general sense of "combination for a common obj
    coalition
    1610s, "the growing together of parts," from French coalition (1540s), from Late Latin coalitus "fellowship," originally past participle of Latin coalescere "unite, grow together, become one in growth" (see coalesce). Political sense, "voluntary temporary union of persons, partie
    scale
    [one of the skin plates on fish or snakes] c. 1300, from Old French escale "cup, scale, shell pod, husk" (12c., Modern French écale), from Frankish *skala or some other Germanic source, from Proto-Germanic *skæla "to split, divide" (source also of Dutch schaal "a scale, husk," Ol
    reefer
    "marijuana cigarette," 1920s, perhaps an alteration of Mexican Spanish grifo "marijuana, drug addict" [OED]; or perhaps from reef (v.), on resemblance to a rolled sail. It also meant "pickpocket" in criminal slang (by 1935), and Century Dictionary also has it as "oyster that grow
    menopause
    "the final cessation of the monthly courses of women," 1852 (from 1845 as a French word in English), from French ménopause, from medical Latin menopausis, from Greek mēn (genitive mēnos) "month" (from PIE *mehnes- "moon, month," from root *me- (2) "to measure," via the notion of
    agony
    late 14c., "mental suffering" (especially that of Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane), from Old French agonie, agoine "anguish, terror, death agony" (14c.), and directly from Late Latin agonia, from Greek agōnia "a struggle for victory" (in wrestling, etc.), in a general sense "e

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