sçavoir

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sa.vwaʁ/

Verb

sçavoir

1. Obsolete spelling of savoir

Noun

sçavoir m (plural sçavoirs)

1. Obsolete spelling of savoir

Middle French

Etymology

From Old French savoir, with the inserted ⟨ç⟩ based on an incorrect assumption that the word derives from Latin scīre.

Verb

sçavoir

1. 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

infinitive	simple	sçavoir
	compound	avoir + past participle
present participle1 or gerund2	simple	sçavant
	compound	present participle or gerund of avoir + past participle
past participle		sceu
		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative		ie (i’)	tu	il, elle	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	present indicative of avoir + past participle
	pluperfect	imperfect indicative of avoir + past participle
	past anterior	past historic of avoir + past participle
	future perfect	future of avoir + past participle
	conditional perfect	conditional of avoir + past participle
subjunctive		que ie (i’)	que tu	qu’il, qu’elle	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	present subjunctive of avoir + past participle
	pluperfect	imperfect subjunctive of avoir + past participle
imperative		–	tu	–	nous	vous	–
simple		—	saiche	—	saichez	saichions	—
compound		—	simple imperative of avoir + past participle	—	simple imperative of avoir + past participle	simple imperative of avoir + past participle	—
1 The present participle was variable in gender and number until the 17th century (Anne Sancier-Château [1995], Une esthétique nouvelle: Honoré d'Urfé, correcteur de l'Astrée, p. 179). The French Academy would eventually declare it not to be declined in 1679.
2 The gerund was held to be invariable by grammarians of the early 17th century, and was usable with preposition en, as in Modern French, although the preposition was not mandatory (Anne Sancier-Château [1995], op. cit., p. 180).

Noun

sçavoir f (plural sçavoirs)

1. 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.

Synonyms

• connoissance