Etymograph

English

contretemps

Contretemps comes from French contretemps ‘a contretemps, a hitch, a hold-up, a setback’, from temps ‘weather’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *temp- ‘to stretch, string’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*temp-1‘to stretch, string’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*tempos2‘stretch’reconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtempus3‘a time’
  4. Old Frenchc. 842–1400temps3‘weather’
  5. Frenchc. 1600–presenttemps4‘weather’
  6. Frenchc. 1600–presentcontretemps5‘a contretemps, a hitch, a hold-up, a setback’
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1842contretemps5

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Proto-Italic *tempos
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Latin tempus
  3. 3 Wiktionary, French temps
  4. 4 Wiktionary, French contretemps
  5. 5 Wiktionary, English contretemps
  6. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1842, anonymous collaborator of Letitia Elizab, Keeping up Appearances. […]: “...and said "she had been the most efficient friend…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*temp-Wiktionary, Proto-Italic *tempos‘to stretch, string’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*temposWiktionary, Latin tempus‘stretch’reconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtempusWiktionary, French temps‘a time’
  4. Old Frenchc. 842–1400tempsWiktionary, French temps‘weather’
  5. Frenchc. 1600–presenttempsWiktionary, French contretemps‘weather’
  6. Frenchc. 1600–presentcontretempsWiktionary, English contretemps‘a contretemps, a hitch, a hold-up, a setback’
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1842contretempsWiktionary, English contretemps. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1842, anonymous collaborator of Letitia Elizab, Keeping up Appearances. […]: “...and said "she had been the most efficient friend…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *temp- ‘to stretch, string’

antenna, templar, contemplate, contemplation, contemporaneously, 18 more

through Proto-Italic *tempos ‘stretch’

temperature, contemporary, temporal, temperate, temperament, temperance, tamper, contemporaneous, tempera, 12 more

through Latin tempus ‘a time’

temporary, temple, tense, temper, template, tempo, matin, tempestuous, tempura, 13 more

Today it means

noun An unforeseen, inopportune, or embarrassing event.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “contretemps”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Proto-Italic *tempos, Latin tempus, French temps, French contretemps. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *temp- / contretemps

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