What does ami mean?
'Ami' is the French noun meaning 'friend', adopted into English mainly through set phrases such as 'mon ami' ('my friend') and in literary or stylistic borrowing. In French it designates a male friend, with 'amie' serving as the feminine counterpart, though the spoken forms are often indistinguishable before a vowel. When English speakers use it, they typically do so to evoke warmth, familiarity, or Continental charm — greeting a companion, signing off a letter, or lending dialogue a French register. The word descends from Latin 'amicus' ('friend'), the same root behind English 'amicable', 'amity', and 'amateur', all of which carry senses of goodwill or fondness. Because it is a foreign loanword, its use in English is largely confined to quotations, translations of French works, and playful or affectionate address rather than everyday vocabulary.
nounA friend; the French word for 'friend', borrowed into English chiefly as a term of address or affectionate reference to a male friend.
- A friend; a male friend, especially used as a borrowed French term of address or affectionate reference.
"He raised his glass and toasted his old ami across the café table."
""Bonsoir, mon ami," she said with a warm smile."
"The letter was signed simply: "your ami, Henri.""
In English contexts the plural retains the French form 'amis' (pronounced identically to the singular); the feminine plural is 'amies'.
"They had been amis since their student days in Lyon."
Every French speaker's go-to word for 'friend' traces straight back to the Latin 'amicus' — the same root that gives English 'amicable', 'amity', and even 'amateur'.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of ami
Borrowed directly from French 'ami', meaning friend, which derives from Latin 'amicus', itself related to the verb 'amare' (to love). The same Latin root produced the English words 'amicable', 'amity', and 'amateur', reflecting a family of terms built on friendship and affection. The feminine French form is 'amie', and the plural is 'amis'.
How ami is actually used
In English text, 'ami' appears almost exclusively in French phrases or quotations, or when writers deliberately borrow French flavor. It is informal and affectionate in tone; using it outside a Francophone context can read as affected unless intentional.
Easily confused with ami
'Ami' is the masculine form meaning a (male) friend in French, while 'amie' is the feminine form meaning a female friend.