pourtant

French

Etymology

Univerbation of pour (“for”) ‎ tant (“so much”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /puʁ.tɑ̃/

• Audio:

  (file)

Adverb

pourtant

1. however, yet
   • 1837, Louis Viardot, L’Ingénieux Hidalgo Don Quichotte de la Manche‎^{fr.Wikisource}, translation of El ingenioso hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Chapter II:

     Pourtant, ce qui l’inquiétait le plus, c’était de ne pas se voir armé chevalier ; car il lui semblait qu’il ne pouvait légitimement s’engager dans aucune aventure sans avoir reçu l’ordre de chevalerie.

     However, what worried him the most was not having been dubbed a knight; for it seemed to him that he could not legitimately engage in any adventure without having received the order of knighthood.

Usage notes

Not to be confused with pour autant.

Descendants

• → Dutch: pertang (regional, Belgium and southern Netherlands)
• → Limburgish: pertang
• → West Flemish: pertang, pertank, pertanks
• → Zealandic: pertan, pertant

Further reading

• “pourtant”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Anagrams

• poutrant