Belle au bois dormant

== French == === Etymology === From the phrasing used by Charles Perrault in Ma Mère l'Oye (published in 1697). Literally, “Beauty sleeping in the wood”, with the archaic positioning of the present participle after its complement which was frequent in Old French (as in chemin faisant and tambour battant); the modern French equivalent would be Belle dormant au bois. It is also dormant and not dormante because present participles have been invariable in French since a decision of 3 June 1679 of the Académie Française (of which Perrault was a member). === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /bɛ.l‿o bwa dɔʁ.mɑ̃/ === Proper noun === Belle au bois dormant f Sleeping Beauty (fictional character) === References ===