oyez

or o·yes

[ oh-yes, oh-yez ]

/ ˈoʊ yɛs, ˈoʊ yɛz /

interjection

hear! attend! (a cry uttered usually twice by a court officer to command silence and attention, as before court is in session, and formerly by public criers).

noun, plural oyesses.

a cry of “oyez.”

Nearby words

Origin of oyez

1375–1425; late Middle English < Anglo-French, plural imperative of oyer; see oyer

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for oyes

Then was there a solemne Oyes made, and silence commanded, and then presently beganne their seuere and cruell iudgement.
The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques, and Discoveries of the English Nation, Volume XIV (of 16)|Richard Hakluyt
Oyes ce Docteur muet estudie en ce livre Qui nuict et jour ouvert t'apprendra de bien vivre.
The Works of Sir Thomas Browne (Volume 1 of 3)|Thomas Browne
It was at this point the heralds cried their "Oyes," and our conversation was at an end for the time.
When Knighthood Was in Flower|Charles Major

British Dictionary definitions for oyes

oyez

oyes

/ (əʊˈjɛs, -ˈjɛz) /

interjection

a cry, usually uttered three times, by a public crier or court official for silence and attention before making a proclamation

noun

such a cry

Word Origin for oyez

C15: via Anglo-Norman from Old French oiez! hear!

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

Word Origin and History for oyes

oyez

interj.

early 15c., from Anglo-French oyez "hear ye!" (late 13c., Old French oiez), a cry uttered (usually thrice) to call attention, from Latin subjunctive audiatis, plural imperative of audire "to hear" (Anglo-French oier; see audience).