bayer

See also: bâyer and Bayer

French

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Medieval Latin *batare (to gape), probably of imitative origin.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ba.je/, /bɛ.je/

Verb

bayer

  1. (archaic) to have one's mouth wide open, to gape
    Synonym: béer
    bayer aux corneilles
    to be dumbstruck
    (literally, “to gape at crows”)

Usage notes

The alternative spelling bâyer is mistaken, probably due to confusion with bâiller.

Conjugation

This is a regular -er verb as far as pronunciation is concerned, but as with other verbs in -ayer (such as payer and essayer, the <y> of its stem may optionally be written as <i> when it precedes a silent <e> (compare verbs in -eyer, which never have this spelling change, and verbs in -oyer and -uyer, which always have it; verbs in -ayer belong to both groups, according to the writer's preference).

Further reading

Anagrams

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