English

Noun

avant ‎(plural avants)

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

Related terms

• van

References

• avant in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1914

French

Etymology

From Middle French, from Old French avant ‎(“before, prior in time, forward”), from Vulgar 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): /avɑ̃/

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

Related terms

Noun

avant m ‎(plural avants)

1. front

   l'avant d'une voiture‎ ― (please add an English translation of this usage example) The front of a car.

2. (sports) forward

Anagrams

• vanta

Norman

Etymology

From Old French avant, from Vulgar 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

Old French

Adverb

avant

1. beforehand; earlier

Romansch

Alternative forms

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

Etymology

From Vulgar 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