Avant
/əˈvɑːnt/noun
A word meaning before, forward, or in advance, especially in expressions such as avant-garde.
Did you know?Avant entered English through French, whose source was a Vulgar Latin expression meaning “from before,” combining the ideas of separation and precedence.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ant-
“Front, face, or opposite side; a root expressing position before or in front of something”
Classical Latin
Latin
ante
“Before, in front of, or earlier than”
Late Latin
Late Latin
ab ante
“From before; from in front”
9th–10th Century
Old French
avant
“Before, previously, or forward”
14th Century
Middle English
avant
“Before or in front; borrowed from French”
Modern English
English
avant
“Before, forward, or in advance, especially in avant-garde”
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