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noun, masculine

émoi

/e.mwa/

noun, masculine/e.mwa/plural: émois

agitation; emotion; vicissitude; excitement; commotion; turmoil

Inherited from Middle French esmoy, from Old French esmai (“confusion, agitation caused by fear”), from esmaier (“to worry, scare, vex, dismay”), from Vulgar Latin *exmagare (“to deprive (someone) of strength, to disable”), from ex- + *magare (“to enable, empower”), from Proto-Germanic *maginą, *maganą (“might, power”), from Proto-Indo-European *mēgh- (“to be able”). Akin to Old High German magan, megin (“power, might, main”), Old English mæġen (“might, main”), Old English magan (“to be able to”