ci-devant

American

[seed^uh-vahn, see-duh-vahn] / sidəˈvɑ̃, ˌsi dəˈvɑ̃ /

adjective

French.

former: used especially in reference to a retired officeholder.

ci-devant British

/ sidəvɑ̃ /

adjective

(esp of an office-holder) former; recent

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of ci-devant

Literally, “heretofore”

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

As a ci-devant intellectual I was one of the elect.

From Time Magazine Archive

The knight was no anchorite, neither the ci-devant gentleman-usher; both accustomed to take their wine in a moderate way.

From No Quarter! by Reid, Mayne

One is bent on marrying the daughter of a ci-devant farmer, and the other means to set up as a lawyer.

From Fickle Fortune by Elisabeth Burstenbinder (AKA E. Werner)

Jane," she cried, bursting into the ci-devant nursery where Miss Gollop reigned supreme, "where's my best hat—quick!

From The Tree of Knowledge A Novel by Reynolds, Mrs. Baillie

“Release them!” said Osceola, addressing the ci-devant diggers; “and be careful how you handle your spades.”

From Osceola the Seminole The Red Fawn of the Flower Land by Reid, Mayne

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023