English
oyez
Oyez comes from Old French oyez, from oir ‘to hear’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ew- ‘to see, perceive’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂ew-‘to see, perceive’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂ewis‘clearly, manifestly’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*awizdiō‘to hear’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEaudioas audīre‘to hear, listen to’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400oir‘to hear’
- Old French, derivedc. 842–1400oyezimperative plural of oir
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500oyes‘a call for attention’
- Englishearliest quotation 1599oyez
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂ew-‘to see, perceive’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂ewis‘clearly, manifestly’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*awizdiō‘to hear’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEaudioas audīre‘to hear, listen to’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400oir‘to hear’
- Old French, derivedc. 842–1400oyezimperative plural of oir
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500oyes‘a call for attention’
- Englishearliest quotation 1599oyez
Earliest quotation: 1599, Thomas Nashe, Nashes Lenten Stuffe: “I truſte you make no queſtion about thoſe dull…”
The story
Commonly folk-etymologized as (and pronounced homophonously to) O + yes in the early modern period.folk etymology The source marks this as unproven or a folk etymology. Quoted, not asserted.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₂ew- ‘to see, perceive’
love, egg, ear, aviation, acoustic, oval, avid, anesthesia, ey, ovation, avian, auspicious, aviator, aural, avarice, aviary, ocarina, otolaryngology, 63 more
through Proto-Indo-European *h₂ewis ‘clearly, manifestly’
through Proto-Italic *awizdiō ‘to hear’
audition, auditorium, auditor, 6 more
through Latin audio ‘to hear, listen to’
Today it means
intj Hear ye. Attend. (Called by public criers or in court usually three times to secure silence or attentiveness).
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₂ew- / oyez