pourtant
French
Etymology
Univerbation of pour (“for”) + tant (“so much”).
Pronunciation
Adverb
pourtant
- however, yet
- 1837, Louis Viardot, L’Ingénieux Hidalgo Don Quichotte de la Manchefr.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.
- (please add an English translation of this quotation)
- 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.
Further reading
- “pourtant”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.