qui vive
[ kee veev ]
who goes there? (used as a sentry's challenge)
Idioms about qui vive
on the qui vive, on the alert; watchful: Special guards were on the qui vive for trespassers.
Origin of qui vive
11720–30; <French: literally, (long) live who? (i.e., on whose side are you?)
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
British Dictionary definitions for qui vive
qui vive
/ (ˌkiː ˈviːv) /
noun
on the qui vive on the alert; attentive
Origin of qui vive
1C18: from French, literally: long live who?, sentry's challenge (equivalent to "To whose party do you belong?" or "Whose side do you support?")
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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