sçavoir
French
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /sa.vwaʁ/
Middle French
Etymology
From Old French savoir, with the inserted ⟨ç⟩ based on an incorrect assumption that the word derives from Latin scīre.
Conjugation
- C becomes ç before a. Highly irregular.
- Middle French conjugation varies from one text to another. Hence, the following conjugation should be considered as typical, not as exhaustive.
Conjugation of sçavoir
| infinitive | simple | sçavoir | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| compound | avoir + past participle | ||||||
| present participle1 or gerund2 | simple | sçavant | |||||
| compound | present participle or gerund of avoir + past participle | ||||||
| past participle | sceu | ||||||
| singular | plural | ||||||
| first | second | third | first | second | third | ||
| indicative | ie (i’) | tu | il, elle | nous | vous | ilz, elles | |
| (simple tenses) |
present | sçay | sçay, sçais | sçay, sçais | sçavons | sçavez | sçavent |
| imperfect | sçavoys, sçavois | sçavoys, sçavois | sçavoyt, sçavoyt | sçavions | sçaviez | sçavoyent, sçavoient | |
| past historic | sceus | sceus | sceut | sceumes | sceustes | sceurent | |
| future | sçauray, sçaurai | sçauras | sçaura | sçaurons | sçaurez | sçauront | |
| conditional | sçaurays, sçaurais | sçaurays, sçaurais | sçaurayt, sçaurait | sçaurions | sçauriez | sçaurayent, sçauraient | |
| (compound tenses) |
present perfect | present indicative of avoir + past participle | |||||
| pluperfect | imperfect indicative of avoir + past participle | ||||||
| past anterior | past historic of avoir + past participle | ||||||
| future perfect | future of avoir + past participle | ||||||
| conditional perfect | conditional of avoir + past participle | ||||||
| subjunctive | que ie (i’) | que tu | qu’il, qu’elle | que nous | que vous | qu’ilz, qu’elles | |
| (simple tenses) |
present | saiche | saiches | saiche | saichions | saichiez | saichent |
| imperfect | sceusse | sceusses | sceust | sceussions | sceussiez | sceussent | |
| (compound tenses) |
past | present subjunctive of avoir + past participle | |||||
| pluperfect | imperfect subjunctive of avoir + past participle | ||||||
| imperative | – | – | – | ||||
| simple | — | saiche | — | saichez | saichions | — | |
| compound | — | simple imperative of avoir + past participle | — | simple imperative of avoir + past participle | simple imperative of avoir + past participle | — | |
| 1 The present participle was variable in gender and number until the 17th century (Anne Sancier-Château [1995], Une esthétique nouvelle: Honoré d'Urfé, correcteur de l'Astrée, p. 179). The French Academy would eventually declare it not to be declined in 1679. | |||||||
| 2 The gerund was held to be invariable by grammarians of the early 17th century, and was usable with preposition en, as in Modern French, although the preposition was not mandatory (Anne Sancier-Château [1995], op. cit., p. 180). | |||||||
Noun
sçavoir f (plural sçavoirs)
- knowledge
- 1534, François Rabelais, Gargantua:
- car leur sçavoir n'estoit que besterie et leur sapience n'estoit que moufles
- for their knowledge was just nonsense and their wisdom was just waffle.
Synonyms
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