va-et-vient

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from French va-et-vient.

Noun

va-et-vient m (uncountable)

  1. comings and goings, toing and froing

French

Etymology

From aller et venir.

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /va.e.vjɛ̃/
  • Audio(file)

Noun

va-et-vient m (plural va-et-vient)

  1. comings and goings, toing and froing
    le va-et-vient des touristes ― the comings and goings of tourists
  2. (by extension) back and forth, in and out, up and down, to and fro
    Le balancier d’une pendule fait un mouvement de va-et-vient.
    The pendulum in a clock moves to and fro.
    Un oscillateur est un objet qui fait des mouvements de va-et-vient de manière plus ou moins longue et plus ou moins stable.
    An oscillator is an object which moves back and forth, either for a long or a short time, and in a stable or an unstable manner.
  3. (electronics) two-way switch

Descendants
  • → Dutch: va-et-vient

Further reading
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