jouvence

French

Etymology

From Old French jovence, from an alteration, possibly influenced by jouvenceau or adolescence, of Old French jovente, itself from Latin iuventa, from iuventus (whence also the masculine Old French form jouvent). Another proposed etymology was a hypothetical Vulgar Latin root *juventia or *iuventia, from iuventa.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʒu.vɑ̃s/

• Audio:

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Noun

jouvence f (plural jouvences)

1. (archaic) youth (state of being young)

   Synonym: jeunesse

   fontaine de jouvence ― fountain of youth

Usage notes

Only used in set expressions.

Related terms

• jouvenceau, jouvencelle

Further reading

• “jouvence”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.