Definitions For Oyez

Verb

es To proclaim with a cry#noun, cry of "#interjection, oyez".

Noun

{{en-noun, es}} A cry of "oyez".

Interjection

{{en-interj}} hear ye, hear ye. Attend. (Called by public criers or in court usually three times to secure silence and/or attentiveness).

Usage notes

It is still used in the United States Supreme Court, similar to calling “order”, and in many state supreme courts, though some lower courts have dropped its use.

Alternative forms

oyes

Etymology

Borrowed from {{bor, en, xno, -}} and {{bor, en, frm, oyez}}, oiez, imperative plural of oir, , to hear, from {{der, en, fro, oïr, , to hear}}, itself from {{der, en, la, audiō, audiō, audīre, to hear}} (oyez in particular corresponding to the second-person plural imperative form, audite). Commonly folk-etymologized as (and pronounced homophonously to) O + yes in the early modern period.