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oyez

Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2012 10:04 pm
by bailey36
well, you know I like little words so here is a nice four letter word, any guesses as to what is is before I post it?
o·yes·ses (ysz)
This cry, used to open a court.

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[Middle English, from Anglo-Norman French hear ye, imperative pl. of oyer, to hear, from Latin audre; see au- in Indo-European roots.]
Word History: The courtroom cry "Oyez, oyez, oyez," has probably puzzled more than one auditor, especially if pronounced "O yes." (Many people have thought that the words were in fact O yes.) This cry serves to remind us that up until the 18th century, speaking English in a British court of law was not required and one could instead use Law French, a form of French that evolved after the Norman Conquest, when Anglo-Norman became the language of the official class in England. Oyez descends from the Anglo-Norman oyez, the plural imperative form of oyer, "to hear"; thus oyez means "hear ye" and was used as a call for silence and attention. Although it would have been much heard in Medieval England, it is first recorded as an English word fairly late in the Middle English period, in a work composed around 1425.
I used it in words with friends, :)

Posted: Sun Jun 24, 2012 10:35 pm
by Slava
A nice word, and lightly touched upon many years ago here.