Etymology: Partly < advance v., and partly < Anglo-Norman avaunce, avauncie and Middle French (rare) advance, Middle French, French avance progress, advancement (c1275 in Anglo-Norman, 14th cent. in continental French), advantage, benefit (1299 or earlier), act of going forward or onward (1468), sum of money paid beforehand or on security (1478), approach made towards a person with the aim of closer acquaintance or understanding, (specifically) amorous overtures (1647 (in the passage translated in quot. 1652 at sense A. 9) or earlier) < avancer , avancier , avauncer , etc. advance v. Compare Old Occitan avans (c1150 in sense ‘advantage’, 1475 in sense ‘remainder, surplus’), Spanish avanzo (1595), Italian avanzo (end of the 13th cent.), all likewise deverbal derivatives. Compare earlier advancement n., advancing n., with which the word shows partial semantic overlap.In to make advances (see sense A. 9) after French faire des avances (1652 or earlier). In sense A. 11, probably after Anglo-Norman avancé (although this is only recorded in dictionaries in the specific sense ‘cleric who has been appointed to a benefice, bishopric, etc.’ (late 14th cent. or earlier); no corresponding sense is recorded in continental French). With the forms history, compare discussion at advance v.

Etymology: < Anglo-Norman avauncer, avauncier, (with change of conjugation) avancir, avauncir, Anglo-Norman and Old French, Middle French avancer, avancier, Anglo-Norman and Middle French avanser, Middle French advancer, advancier (French avancer ) to go or move forward (c1120 used reflexively, 13th cent. used intransitively), to benefit, advantage, profit (a cause) (late 12th cent. or earlier), (of a person) to make progress in life, employment, or some other sphere (1209 in Old French in an apparently isolated attestation, subsequently from 1538), to promote or help the progress, success, or completion of (something) (c1220), to raise or promote (a person) in rank or office (1268 or earlier, originally with specific reference to admission of a man to holy orders), to give preferential treatment to (a person) (c1300 or earlier), to boast (beginning of the 14th cent.; compare avaunt v.¹, vaunt v.), (of a process or thing in course) to proceed towards completion or perfection, to move forward in time (second half of the 14th cent.), to move, put, or push (something) forward (end of the 14th cent.), to cause (an event) to occur earlier than planned (early 15th cent.), to pay (a sum of money) before it is due, or in anticipation of work still to be done (1469; 1420 in avancer quelqu'un with the payee as direct object), in Anglo-Norman also to provide for (a dependant), especially in anticipation of the conditions of a settlement or will (15th cent. or earlier) < an unattested post-classical Latin form *abantiare < classical Latin abante away before (see avant- comb. form; > French avant avaunt adv., int., and prefix). Compare Old Occitan avansar, Catalan avançar, †avansar (13th cent.), Spanish avanzar (mid 15th cent.; < Catalan; in later use semantically influenced by Italian avanzare), Portuguese avançar (1344; < Catalan, probably via Spanish), Italian avanzare (a1250).With sense 8, compare similar use of French avancer (1299 in Old French in an apparently isolated attestation, subsequently from 1607). With sense 14, compare Italian avanzare (1353 in this sense). Like Middle French advancier , Middle French, French †advancer , the β. forms show remodelling by association with classical Latin ad- (see discussion at ad- prefix, and compare the β. forms at advantage n.). However, unlike parallel forms of, for instance, adventure n., this association with the Latin prefix does not reflect the actual etymology of the word. (In the French forms in ad- the -d- was purely graphic, and not pronounced.)