émoi

Inherited from Middle French esmoy, from Old French esmai (“confusion, agitation caused by fear”), from esmaier (“to worry, scare, vex, dismay”), from Vulgar Latin *exmagare (“to deprive (someone) of strength, to disable”), from ex- + *magare (“to enable, empower”), from Proto-Germanic *maginą, *maganą (“might, power”), from Proto-Indo-European *mēgh- (“to be able”). Akin to Old High German magan, megin (“power, might, main”), Old English mæġen (“might, main”), Old English magan (“to be able to”). More at main, may.

• IPA^(key): /e.mwa/

émoi m (plural émois)

1. agitation; emotion; vicissitude
2. excitement
3. commotion; turmoil

• “émoi”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.