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oui

Etymology and origin of the French word oui

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Compound
First attested
1080, Chanson de Roland (oïl)
From
Old French oïl
Ultimate origin
Latin (hic,ille)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /wi/[1]
  • IPA (colloquial, humorous): /ɥi/[1]

Forms

oui[1] Old French oïl (1080), oï (about 1155); ouy, ouil (1380); written oüy by the Académie in 1694 and ouy in 1718.[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French oïl (“yes”), in a reduced form, “oïl” is a compound of o (“yes; that”), from Latin hoc (“this”), and the pronoun il.[4][2][5][6] “Oïl” is the condensation of a sentence like Latin “hoc ille fecit” “he did this”, the verb “faire” standing for the verb of the question in the answer and being left out altogether.[7][8] Old French also had “o-je”, “o nos”, “o vos” “yes, I; yes, we; yes, you”, which disappeared, and the negative “nen-il”, now nenni.[2][7]

As “o-je” and “ne-je” fell out of use and “il” lost its independence, “oui” and “nenni” had become unanalysable by the 16th century at the latest.[7] The same “hoc” gave Occitan òc, the “yes” of the south.[2][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Oïl is found in the Chanson de Roland (1080); the form oui (ouy) is recorded about 1380.[3][4][2]

Semantic evolution

Oïl was used until the 15th century, but survives in langue d'oïl, the northern French dialects, opposed to langue d'oc and Franco-Provençal.[2] The adverb answers a question that is not negative (unlike si), alone or strengthened, as in ouy dea (1474), later oui-da, and que oui (1657).[2][3] After a verb of saying it acts as an object, as in dire oui (about 1216) and ne dire ni oui ni non (1652).[3][2] The noun un oui dates from 1536.[4] Oui has spread over the whole Gallo-Romance area, and southern o has become rare.[7]

Timeline

  • 1080 – Oïl in the Chanson de Roland.[3]
  • c. 1138 – Oïl after a verb of saying, in Gaimar.[3]
  • c. 1380 – The form ouy, oui.[4][2]
  • 1474 – Ouy dea.[4]
  • 1536 – Un ouy as a noun.[4]
  • 1652 – Ne dire ni oui ni non.[3]

Meanings

Adverb

  1. yes: a positive answer to a question that is not negative: Tu viens ? — Oui.[9][1]
  2. After a verb of saying: dire oui, to accept or approve, je crois que oui.[3][2]
  3. For emphasis or doubt: oui, oui….[9][2]

Noun

  1. (invariable) A yes, a vote in favour: un oui franc, pour un oui ou pour un non, for no reason.[9][4]

Usage notes

Oui is treated as if it began with a consonant: there is no elision or liaison before it (le oui, un / oui), except in familiar phrases such as je crois qu'oui.[4][9]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
  5. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 4, 443b
  6. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  7. ^ a b c d Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  8. ^ Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  9. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
Cite this entry

“Oui.” Etymologically, 18 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/oui. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

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