devant
French
Etymology
de + avant
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /də.vɑ̃/
audio (file)
Preposition
devant
- confronted with, faced with
- in front of, before
- Antonym: derrière
- outside
Derived terms
- au-devant de
- devancer
- devant l'Éternel
- sens devant derrière
Noun
devant m (plural devants)
- front
Derived terms
- prendre les devants
- sur le devant de la scène
Participle
devant
- present participle of devoir
Further reading
- “devant”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Middle French
Alternative forms
- devãt (some manuscripts)
Preposition
devant
- in front of; before
- before (with respect to time)
- 1488, Jean Dupré, Lancelot du Lac, page 23:
- devant que tu partes perdras le poing en lieu de mon escu
- before you leave you will lose your hand for my shield [which you lost]
-
Old French
Preposition
devant
- in front of
- circa 1170, Chrétien de Troyes, Érec et Énide:
- Et devant aus un nain boçu
- circa 1170, Chrétien de Troyes, Érec et Énide: