av. n. è. (avant notre ère)
In French, the English phrase 'BCE' is translated as av. n. è. (avant notre ère). If unsure, use av. n. è. (avant notre ère). Wiktionary also lists AEC and AÈC.
Meaning: secularized form of BC (adv)
Ways to say it
| French |
|---|
| av. n. è. (avant notre ère) |
| AEC |
| AÈC |
| av. è. c. (avant l'ère commune) |
In French, the abbreviation av. n. è. is the standard way to write 'BCE' in academic and historical texts.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase avant notre ère literally means 'before our era'.
Which one should you use?
The abbreviations AEC and AÈC are also used, as is the form av. è. C. (avant l'ère commune).
Did you know?
- French historians often avoid the term avant J.-C. in secular textbooks to ensure the language does not assume the religion of the student.
- Unlike the English 'BCE', which is often used as a standalone acronym, French writers frequently prefer the full phrase avant notre ère or the abbreviated av. n. è. to maintain formal syntax.
- In French, the word 'notre' in the phrase avant notre ère stems from the Old French 'nostre', which traces back to the Latin 'noster'.
Examples in context
- 700 avant notre ère700 BCE
- 500 avant Jésus-Christ500 BCE
Sources
- Wiktionary, “bce” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries notre, è, CC BY-SA 4.0.
