aîné

See also: Appendix:Variations of "aine"

French

Alternative forms

• ainé (post-1990 spelling)

Etymology

Inherited from Middle French aisné, from Old French aisné, contraction of ainz (“before”) + né (“born”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɛ.ne/ ~ /e.ne/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Homophone: henné

Adjective

aîné (feminine aînée, masculine plural aînés, feminine plural aînées)

1. oldest, elder

   Coordinate term: cadet

   mon frère aîné ― my older brother

Noun

aîné m (plural aînés, feminine aînée)

1. eldest boy

   Antonym: (literary) puîné

   Coordinate terms: cadet, benjamin

2. older brother
3. elder
4. old person

Derived terms

• aînesse

Further reading

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