Tout Court
/ˌtuː ˈkʊər/noun
Used to mean simply, absolutely, or without further qualification.
Did you know?English borrowed tout court from French, where it functions as a compact way to end an argument by declaring something categorically or without qualification.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*to-t-yos
“Entire, all; the reconstructed source behind Latin totus.”
Classical Latin
Latin
totus
“Whole, entire, all.”
Classical Latin
Latin
curtus
“Shortened, clipped, or cut short.”
Old French
Old French
tout curt
“Quite short; briefly or plainly.”
Middle French
French
tout court
“Simply, without qualification, or in brief.”
17th Century–Modern English
English
tout court
“Absolutely, categorically, or with no further explanation.”