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A.Word.A.Day--qui vive

This week's theme: terms from French.

qui vive (kee VEEV) noun

Alert, lookout. (Used in the phrase "on the qui vive").

[From French qui vive, literally "(Long) live who?" It was used by a sentry to challenge someone approaching the gate. A proper response might be "Vive le roi!" or "La France!"]

See more usage examples of qui vive in Vocabulary.com's dictionary.

-Anu Garg (garg AT wordsmith.org)

"Are there some more subtle signals a man ought to be on the qui vive for?" James Ahearn; Ask Mr. Manners; The Record (Bergen County, New Jersey); Oct 23, 1991.

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