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tutoyer: Dictionary.com Word of the Day

Dictionary.com
Oct. 5, 2014

tutoyer Audio Pronunciation
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\too-twah-YEY; Fr. ty-twa-YEY\
verb
1. to address (someone), especially in French, using the familiar forms of the pronoun “you” rather than the more formal forms; address familiarly.
Quotes
An officer doesn't tutoyer a subordinate, unless they work closely in the same unit.
-- Kevin G. Karpiak, edited by William Garriott, "La Police," Policing and Contemporary Governance, 2013
Origin
Tutoyer entered English in the late 1600s from the French word of the same spelling. In French tu is the informal form of address, and so to use it with someone is to display familiarity rather than deference.
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