Jusques

Jusques is a French preposition that translates to "until" or "up to" in English. It is primarily used to indicate a limit in time or space. For example, "Il a travaillé jusques à minuit" means "He worked until midnight." In a spatial context, it can denote a destination or boundary, such as "Le chemin va jusques au sommet" translating to "The path goes up to the summit."

Historically, "jusques" was a more common and varied form of the preposition "jusqu'." It often appeared with enclitic pronouns or other words. For instance, "jusques-à-ce que" was a conjunction meaning "until the time that." While still grammatically correct, the form "jusqu'" is now overwhelmingly preferred in modern French. "Jusques" is typically only retained before a vowel or a silent h, as in "jusques aux étoiles" (until the stars). However, even in these cases, "jusqu'aux" is more common.

The use of "jusques" is largely considered archaic or formal by contemporary French speakers. Its presence in older texts or literature is more frequent than in everyday conversation or modern writing. Understanding its historical usage can be beneficial for comprehending older French documents, but for practical communication, "jusqu'" is the standard and recommended form.