Etymology and origin of the French word oyant
- Confidence
- Established
- Formation
- Derivation
- First attested
- 1370 before 1370, Jean d'Arkel More words from the 14th century
- Ultimate origin
- Latin audiō
Etymology tree
From the same root
Forms
oyant m (plural oyants)[1] Feminine oyante.[2][3][4] Middle French oïant.[5][4]
Etymology
It is from French ouïr + -ant, the present participle used as a noun.[5][2][4][1] The verb is from Latin audiō (“to hear”).[5][6] Wiktionary compares Old French oant and the Latin participle audientem.[1]
Earliest recorded meaning
It is first recorded before 1370 as oïant “hearer, listener”, in a text of Jean d'Arkel in Jean le Bel's Li Ars d'Amour.[5]
Semantic evolution
As the verb ouïr gave way to entendre, its present participle survived only as a legal term, recorded from Furetière in 1690.[5][6] Legal procedure used it in the phrase oyant compte, the party to whom an account is presented, opposed to the rendant compte.[6][5] The Civil Code of 1804 uses oyant-compte of a minor come of age who receives the guardian's account.[5]
Timeline
- Before 1370 – Oïant “hearer” appears in a text of Jean d'Arkel.[5]
- 1690 – Furetière records it as a legal term, with oyant compte.[5][6][2]
- 1804 – The Civil Code uses oyant-compte.[5]
Meanings
Noun
- (law) The party to whom an account is rendered in court, or to whom it is owed; also oyant compte.[5][3][4]
Related words
Usage notes
The phrase is written with or without a hyphen, with the plural oyants compte;[5] its opposite is the rendant compte, the party who renders the account.[6][4]
References
- ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
- ^ a b c Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
- ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
- ^ a b c d e Académie française (1992–2024), Dictionnaire de l'Académie française, 9th ed., Paris: Académie française / Fayard / Imprimerie nationale
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l 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
- ^ a b c d e Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
Related etymologies
Cite this entry
“Oyant.” Etymologically, 14 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/oyant. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.
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