oyez

or o·yes

[ oh-yes, oh-yez ]

/ ˈoʊ yɛs, ˈoʊ yɛz /

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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.”

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of oyez

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

Words nearby oyez

Oyama, Oyashio Current, oyelet, oyer, oyer and terminer, oyez, oy gevalt, -oyl, Oyo, oyster, Oyster Bay

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use oyez in a sentence

I would not have an author make it his business to render me attentive: or that he should cry out fifty times Oyez!
The Essays of Montaigne, Complete|Michel de Montaigne
All it does is give evidence that your friend and partner will be on the job when the bailiff yells oyez, oyez, oyez.
The Cross-Cut|Courtney Ryley Cooper
I was very much surprised to hear a court of justice in Pennsylvania opened with the old French word oyez!
Society, Manners and Politics in the United States|Michael Chevalier
On October 22, a proclamation is made in the Exchequer as follows: 'Oyez!
Nooks and Corners of Shropshire|H. Thornhill Timmins

This is a corruption of the old Norman-French word oyez, “hear ye.”
English Villages|P. H. Ditchfield

British Dictionary definitions for oyez

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