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ouïe

hearing (sense)

noun WEE Rare

Origin: Old French oïr ('to hear')

Also means

gill (of a fish)

Usage Note

Ouïe names the sense of hearing — 'avoir l'ouïe fine' means 'to have sharp hearing'. In the plural, les ouïes refers to a fish's gills, a completely different usage. It comes from ouïr, an archaic verb for 'to hear' now replaced by entendre.

Examples

"Il a l'ouïe très fine."

Natural Translation

He has very sharp hearing.

Literal Translation

He has the hearing very fine.

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