cédez

Cédez is the second-person plural and formal second-person singular imperative form of the French verb céder, meaning to yield, give way, or transfer. Used as a command or instruction, cédez directs someone to yield or concede priority. In everyday language it can appear in contexts such as negotiations or legal instructions, but it is most recognizable in traffic and safety signage, for example in the phrase cédez le passage, meaning “yield” or “give way.”

The term derives from the Latin cedere, meaning to go, move, or yield. In its conjugated form cédez retains the accent on the first syllable to reflect French spelling and pronunciation. The verb céder also appears in various related forms: cédé (past participle, as in j’ai cédé), cession (the act of transferring rights), cédant (one who yields or transfers), and cessionnaire (recipient of a transfer). The imperative mood, including cédez, is frequently encountered on public signs, official notices, and legal or procedural language where directing action is required.

Usage notes: cédez is a directive addressed to a group or to a formal person, unlike the informal tu form cèdes. In signage and formal contexts, cédez le passage is a standard expression used to manage priority at intersections and pedestrian crossings. While the core sense of ceder is broad—conceding, transferring, or giving up—cédez specifically preserves the sense of instructing someone else to yield or to relinquish priority.