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Definition 2024
sçavoir
sçavoir
French
Verb
sçavoir
- Obsolete spelling of savoir
Noun
sçavoir m (plural sçavoirs)
- Obsolete spelling of savoir
Middle French
Etymology
Hypercorrection of Old French savoir, based on false regression to Latin scīre.
Verb
sçavoir
- to know
Conjugation
- C becomes ç before a. Highly irregular.
- Middle French conjugation varies from one text to another. Hence, the following conjugation should be considered as typical, not as exhaustive.
Conjugation of sçavoir
| simple | compound | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| infinitive | sçavoir | avoir sceu | |||||
| gerund | en sçavant | Use the gerund of avoir followed by the past participle | |||||
| present participle | sçavant | ||||||
| past participle | sceu | ||||||
| person | singular | plural | |||||
| first | second | third | first | second | third | ||
| indicative | ie (may be i' before a vowel) | tu | il | nous | vous | ilz, elles | |
| simple tenses |
present | sçay | sçay, sçais | sçay, sçais | sçavons | sçavez | sçavent |
| imperfect | sçavoys, sçavois | sçavoys, sçavois | sçavoyt, sçavoyt | sçavions | sçaviez | sçavoyent, sçavoient | |
| past historic | sceus | sceus | sceut | sceumes | sceustes | sceurent | |
| future | sçauray, sçaurai | sçauras | sçaura | sçaurons | sçaurez | sçauront | |
| conditional | sçaurays, sçaurais | sçaurays, sçaurais | sçaurayt, sçaurait | sçaurions | sçauriez | sçaurayent, sçauraient | |
| compound tenses |
present perfect | Use the present tense of avoir followed by the past participle | |||||
| pluperfect | Use the imperfect tense of avoir followed by the past participle | ||||||
| past anterior | Use the past historic tense of avoir followed by the past participle | ||||||
| future perfect | Use the future tense of avoir followed by the past participle | ||||||
| conditional perfect | Use the conditional tense of avoir followed by the past participle | ||||||
| subjunctive | que ie | que tu | qu'il | que nous | que vous | qu'ilz, qu'elles | |
| simple tenses |
present | saiche | saiches | saiche | saichions | saichiez | saichent |
| imperfect | sceusse | sceusses | sceust | sceussions | sceussiez | sceussent | |
| compound tenses |
past | Use the present subjunctive of avoir followed by the past participle | |||||
| pluperfect | Use the imperfect subjunctive of avoir followed by the past participle | ||||||
| imperative | – | tu | – | nous | vous | – | |
| — | saiche | — | saichez | saichions | — | ||
Noun
sçavoir f (plural sçavoirs)
- knowledge
- 1534, François Rabelais, Gargantua:
-
car leur sçavoir n'estoit que besterie et leur sapience n'estoit que moufles
- for their knowledge was just nonsense and their wisdom was just waffle.
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car leur sçavoir n'estoit que besterie et leur sapience n'estoit que moufles
-