langue d'oïl

American  

[lahng daw-eel, daw-ee, doil] / lɑ̃g dɔˈil, ˈdɔ i, ˈdɔɪl /

noun

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

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langue d'oïl British  

/ lɑ̃ɡ dɔj /

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of langue d'oïl

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

Example Sentences

Two languages, the langue d'oc and the langue d'oïl, gave birth to two separate species of poetry.

From Renaissance in Italy: Italian Literature Part 1 (of 2) by Symonds, John Addington

The langue d'oïl was at this epoch the international language of Europe; in Italy it was the language of games and tourneys, and was spoken in the petty princely courts of Northern Italy.

From Life of St. Francis of Assisi by Houghton, Louise Seymour

Connected with the pastourelles of the langue d'oïl is an isolated dramatic effort, of a primitive and naïve sort, but of singular grace and charm.

From Pastoral Poetry and Pastoral Drama A Literary Inquiry, with Special Reference to the Pre-Restoration Stage in England by Greg, Walter W.

The northern tongue, the langue d'oïl, shows us—in actually known existence, or by reasonable inference that it existed—the national epic or chanson de geste; the southern, or langue d'oc, gives us the Provençal lyric.

From The Flourishing of Romance and the Rise of Allegory (Periods of European Literature, vol. II) by Saintsbury, George

The first essays in Italian composition for a lettered public were translations from works already written by Italians in langue d'oïl.

From Renaissance in Italy: Italian Literature Part 1 (of 2) by Symonds, John Addington