voyou
French
Etymology
From voie (“way”) + -ou, from Latin via.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /vwa.ju/
(file)
Noun
voyou m (plural voyous, feminine voyouse or voyoute)
- (originally) gamin, street child
- (derogatory) thug, yob, hooligan
- 1963, Serge Gainsbourg (lyrics), “Strip-Tease”, performed by Nico:
- Si c'est pour toi que je strip-tease / Il faut pourtant que je te dise / Que tu es, soit dit entre nous / Un peu voyeur, un peu voyou
- If you're the one I'm stripping for / I should still tell you / That you are, as we say / Part peeping tom, part ruffian
-
- (derogatory) good-for-nothing
- Synonym: vaurien
Further reading
- “voyou”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.