French word

oïl

Pronunciation

IPA/ɔjl/

Meaning

  • interjectionyes

Example

Quand on acceptait une proposition, ils murmuraient oïl.

When they accepted a proposal, they would murmur yes.

Illustration for oïl (yes)

More examples

Pour imiter l'ancien français, elle a dit oïl.

To imitate Old French, she said 'oïl.'

Core concept

A brief medieval reply that signals agreement with a proposal.

Similar words

oui: A standard one-word affirmative reply in modern French.
ouais: An informal, casual one-word affirmative reply.
si: A one-word affirmative reply that contradicts a negative statement.

Definition in French

S'emploie pour marquer l'assentiment en ancien français et considérée comme l'ancêtre historique du mot moderne «oui».

Word origin

Old French oïl developed from the Gallo-Romance expression hoc ille, meaning roughly "that is so", and later became modern French oui.

Usage tips

  • Oïl is historical or literary rather than normal modern French, so oui is used for agreement in present-day conversation.

Opposites

  • nonnointerjection

Word lists with this word