savoir
Syllable Decomposition
savoirfrom Vulgar Latin sapēre, in Classical Latin sapĕre, "to have flavor," influenced by sapiens "wise," hence "to be perceptive," "to understand," then "to know," and the elimination of the Classical Latin scire "to know." Very Old French: sabir (Strasbourg Oaths), then saveir, and finally savoir. For a very long time, from Middle French until the 18th century, the word was spelled sçavoir due to a false regression to Classical Latin scire ("to know"). It was not until 1740 that the French Academy recorded, in the 3rd edition of its dictionary, the word in its current spelling.