langue d'oïl

[ lahng daw-eel, daw-ee, doil ]

noun

1. the Romance language of medieval northern France: developed into modern French.

langue d'oïl

/ lɑ̃ɡ dɔj /

noun

1. the group of medieval French dialects spoken in France north of the Loire; the medieval basis of modern French

Word History and Origins

Origin of langue d'oïl¹

1695–1705; < French: language of oïl ( Old French; compare French oui ), yes < Latin hōc ille ( fēcit ) this he (did)

Word History and Origins

Origin of langue d'oïl¹

literally: language of oïl (the northern form for yes ), ultimately from Latin hoc ille ( fecit ) this he (did)