Where does “avant” come from?
Avant comes from French avant, the first element of avant-garde, ultimately deriving from Latin abante, ab meaning "from," and a Proto-Indo-European root wer- meaning "to turn."
avant (English): The front of an army; the vanguard
Definitions
- The front of an army; the vanguard
Ancestry of “avant”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | avant-garde | The vanguard of an army or other force; Any group... |
| 2 | French | avant-garde | vanguard; avant-garde, firing line |
| 3 | Old French | avantgarde | — |