Bois
/bwɑː/noun
A French word meaning “wood” or “forest.”
Did you know?French bois comes from Latin boscus/boscum via Old French, and it survives in countless place names because forests were once so central to life that they became identity markers.
Etymological Timeline
Latin (Late)
Latin
boscus / boscum
“wood, forest”
Old French
Old French
bois
“wood, forest”
Middle French
French
bois
“wood, timber, forest”
Modern English
English
bois
“used in French phrases and place names to mean wood or forest”