aucun

French

Etymology

From Old French alcun, from Vulgar Latin *alicunus, from Latin aliquī + unus.

Cognate with Italian alcuno, Spanish alguno, Galician algún, Portuguese algum.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /o.kœ̃/, (in liaison) /o.kœ̃.n‿/

• audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -œ̃

Determiner

aucun m (feminine aucune, masculine plural aucuns, feminine plural aucunes)

1. (with ne) no, none, not any

   Il n’a aucun désir de construire des temples.

   He has no desire to build temples.

Usage notes

• The plural forms aucuns and aucunes are now uncommon and are only used with pluralia tantum (e.g. aucuns frais "no fees," as frais has no singular), nouns that change meaning in the plural, and multiple things considered together (e.g. aucuns deux lieux "no two places").

Derived terms

• aucunement
• d’aucuns

Descendants

• Saint Dominican Creole French:
  • Haitian Creole: okenn

Pronoun

aucun m (feminine aucune)

1. (with ne) none, no-one

   Aucun d’entre eux n’a été capable de répondre.

   No one among them could give an answer.

   Aucun de ses amis ne sait où il est.

   None of his friends knows where he is.

Further reading

• “aucun”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Old French

Alternative forms

• alcun
• ascun

Etymology

From Vulgar Latin *alicūnus.

Adjective

aucun m (oblique and nominative feminine singular aucune)

1. any
   • c. 1250, Rutebeuf, Ci encoumence la vie de Sainte Elyzabel, fille au roi de Hongrie:

     Sachiez, ce mes oncles m'esforce
     Que je preigne mari a force,
     Je m'enfuirai en aucun leu

     Know that if my uncle forces me
     To take a husband against my will
     I will flee to any place [but here]

2. (used with "ne") none; not any