chez

Etymology

Borrowed from French chez. Doublet of casa.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʃeɪ/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Homophone: shay
• Rhymes: -eɪ

Preposition

chez

1. At the home of.
   • 2008 February 28, Lisa Forest, “Mind the gap: Empty house, empty nest, empty fridge”, in The Telegraph‎:

     Even if I say so myself, Christmas chez the Forests is quite a heart-warming affair. For Ben, growing up, it was pure magic - a log fire in the grate, real candles on the giant tree, tea-lights twinkling on the tables.

Anagrams

• Zech.

Etymology

Inherited from Middle French chez, from Old French chies, from Latin casa (“house”). Doublet of case. The lack of final -e may be due to contraction in unstressed position; however, it has also been explained as the continuation of a Proto-Romance dative-genitive form case (from Latin casae). Alternatively, derived from the locative case (identical to the dative-genitive).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʃe/, (in liaison) /ʃe.z‿/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Homophones: chais, ché
• Rhymes: -e

Preposition

chez

1. to, at, in or into the home, office, etc. of

   chez moi ― at my house

   chez lui ― at his house

   chez Françoise ― at Françoise’s

   chez le dentiste ― at the dentist

   chez l’avocat ― at the lawyer's office

   • 2013, Zaz, Je rentre:

     Je rentre chez vous, comme c’était chez moi, quand c’était chez nous, […]

     I go into where the two of you live, because it was my place, when it was our place […]

     (literally, “I enter your place, as it was my place, (etc.)”)

2. by extension, to, at or in the country of

   une spécialité bien de chez nous ― a true specialty of our country

   rentrer chez soi ― to return to one's country

3. in; among (a group of things or people of the same type)

   Cette maladie se voit souvent chez les chiens. ― This illness is often seen among dogs.

   le TDAH chez l’adulte ― ADHD in adults

   • 1903, M. Huguet, “Les Conditions Générales de la vie au Mzab”, in Bulletins et mémoires de la Société d'anthropologie de Paris, volume 4, page 220:

     L’impression produite par l’aspect de la Chebka est la même chez tous les voyagers.

     The sight of the Chebka leaves the same impression in all travelers.

4. in the work of (an author or artist)

   C’est un thème très important chez Baudelaire. ― That is a very important theme in Baudelaire's work.

   le symbolisme des couleurs chez Picasso ― color symbolism in Picasso's work

Further reading

• “chez”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.