avant

See also: Avant, avànt, avânt, and avant-

English

Etymology

Abbreviated from avant-garde.

Noun

avant (plural avants)

1. (obsolete) The front of an army; the vanguard.

Related terms

• van

References

• “avant”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• William Dwight Whitney and Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1914), “avant”, in The Century Dictionary: An Encyclopedic Lexicon of the English Language, revised edition, volumes I (A–C), New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.

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Catalan

Etymology

From Late Latin abante (“before, in front of”). Doublet of abans.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central) [əˈβan]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic) [əˈvant]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [aˈvant]

Adverb

avant

1. forward, ahead, onward

   Synonym: endavant

   Antonym: endarrere

Derived terms

• avant-
• avantatge
• davant

 

Further reading

• “avant” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “avant”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2024
• “avant” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “avant” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

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French

Etymology

From Middle French, from Old French avant (“before, prior in time, forward”), from Late Latin abante (“before, in front of”) (compare Classical Latin ante (“before, in front of”)), from Latin ab (“of, from”) + ante (“before”). More at ante.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a.vɑ̃/

• audio:

  (file)

• Audio (CAN):

  (file)

• Homophones: avants, avent, Avent

Adverb

avant

1. beforehand; earlier

   Je l’avais fait avant. ― I had done it beforehand.

Preposition

avant

1. before (in time)

   Elle est arrivé un jour avant moi. ― She arrived one day before me.

   Il faut se laver avant de manger. ― You must wash before eating.

   Tais-toi avant que je ne te tue. ― Shut up before I kill you.

2. before (in space), in front of, ahead of

Derived terms

• auparavant
• auvent
• avant la lettre
• avant que
• avant que de
• avant-bras
• avant-centre
• avant-coureur
• avant-dernier
• avant-garde
• avant-goût
• avant-guerre
• avant-hier
• avant-poste
• avant-propos
• avant-veille
• bond en avant
• d’avant
• en avant

 

Related terms

• avancer

Noun

avant m (plural avants)

1. front

   l’avant d’une voiture ― The front of a car.

2. (sports) forward

Further reading

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

Anagrams

• vanta

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Norman

Etymology

From Old French avant, from Late Latin abante (“before, in front of”), from Latin ab (“of, from”) + ante (“before”).

Adverb

avant

1. (Jersey) beforehand; earlier

Preposition

avant

1. (Jersey) before

Derived terms

• avant-hièr (“day before yesterday”)

Noun

avant m (plural avants)

1. (Jersey, nautical) bow

Derived terms

• gaillard d'avant (“forecastle”)
• mât d'avant (“foremast”)
• vaile d'avant (“foresail”)

 

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Old French

Etymology

From Late Latin abante (“before, in front of”), from Latin ab (“of, from”) + ante (“before”).

Adverb

avant

1. beforehand; earlier

Related terms

• avancier

Descendants

• French: avant
• Norman: avant

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Romansch

Alternative forms

• (Sursilvan) avon
• (Sutsilvan) avànt
• (Puter) aunz, avaunt

Etymology

From Late Latin abante, from Latin ab + ante, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ent- (“front, forehead”).

Preposition

avant

1. (Rumantsch Grischun, Surmiran, Vallader) before, beforehand
2. (Rumantsch Grischun, Surmiran, Vallader) ago