nous

Alternative forms

• noos

Etymology

Borrowed from Ancient Greek νοῦς (noûs) or νόος (nóos, “mind”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) enPR: nous, IPA^(key): /naʊs/
• Rhymes: -aʊs

• (US) enPR: noo͞s, IPA^(key): /nuːs/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Noun

nous (uncountable)

1. (philosophy) The mind or intellect, reason, both rational and emotional
   • 1900, Gilbert Keith Chesterton, On the Disastrous Spread of Aestheticism in all Classes

     I feel the will to roam, to learn

     By test, experience, nous,

     That fire is hot and ocean deep,

     And wolves carnivorous.

2. In Neoplatonism, the divine reason, regarded as first divine emanation.
3. Common sense; practical intelligence.

Anagrams

• Osun, UNOS, onus, ouns

Etymology 1

Etymology 2

Etymology 3

Etymology 4

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /nu/

• audio

  (file)

• Homophone: noue

Etymology 1

From Middle French nous, from Old French nous, nos, from Latin nōs, from Proto-Italic *nōs.

In several dialects of French, je may be used instead of nous (j'allons instead of nous allons, je voyons instead of nous voyons etc.), this use was perceived as peasant-like and thus often mocked since the 15th century (for example by Molière). However this use survived and spread in various regions of the so-called domaine d'oïl (linguistic area starting above Auvergne where the oïl varieties of Romance developed from the 4th or 5th century). The regions of France where this use of je (from Latin ego "I") instead of nous, nos (from Latin nos, "we") was recorded are Normandy, Romance-speaking Brittany, Poitou and Anjou, Champagne, Ardennes, Bourgogne and Franche-Comté, Dauphiné, Berry, Touraine, Orléanais, Bourbonnais, Maine. See cognates in regional languages in France: Angevin je and nous, Bourbonnais-Berrichon je and nous, Bourguignon i and nous, Champenois ju and nous, Franc-Comtois i and nôs, Gallo je and nouz, Lorrain nos, Norman je and nos, Orléanais je and nous, Picard nos, Poitevin-Saintongeais jhe and nous, Tourangeau je and nous, Franco-Provençal nos, Occitan nosautres (Provençal nousautes), Catalan nosaltres, Corsican noi.

Etymology 2

From Ancient Greek νοῦς (noûs) or νόος (nóos, “mind”).

Further reading

• “nous” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Etymology

From Old French nous.

Pronoun

nous

1. we (subject pronoun)
2. ourselves (reflexive pronoun)

Etymology

From Latin nōs.

Pronoun

nous

1. Alternative form of nos

Etymology

From Old French nous.

Pronoun

nous

1. we