Oyez
intj, noun, verb ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 A cry of "oyez".
- 1 To proclaim with a cry of "oyez". no-past, no-present-participle, participle, past, rare, transitive
"I truſte you make no queſtion about thoſe dull pated pennifathers, that in ſuch dudgen ſcorne reiected him, drunck deep of the ſowre cup of repentance for it, when the high flight of his lines in common brute was ooyeſſed."
- 1 Hear ye. Attend. (Called by public criers or in court usually three times to secure silence and/or attentiveness).
"“Oyez! Oyez! Oyez! The Banquet is now ready!” called the two Beef Eaters, and in no time at all Palmer Cox’s resourceful Brownies had found a seat for every guest."
Example
More examples"“Oyez! Oyez! Oyez! The Banquet is now ready!” called the two Beef Eaters, and in no time at all Palmer Cox’s resourceful Brownies had found a seat for every guest."
Etymology
From Middle English oyes, from Old French oyez, the imperative plural of oir (“hear; listen”), from Latin audīre. Commonly folk-etymologized as (and pronounced homophonously to) O + yes in the early modern period.
Related phrases
More for "oyez"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.