ɪts nˈeɪm ɹᵻfˈɜːd tə ðə nˈaɪn mjˈuːzᵻz, ðə dˈɔːɾɚz ʌv nˈɛməsˌaɪn slˈæʃ mˈɛmɚɹi, pˈeɪtɹənz ʌvðɪ ˈɑːɹts ænd sˈaɪənsᵻz sˈɪns æntˈɪkwᵻɾi, ænd lˈɔŋ sɪɡnˈɪfɪkənt ɪn fɹˈɛntʃ kˈʌltʃɚɹəl sˈɜːkəlz.
Its name referred to the nine Muses, the daughters of Mnemosyne/Memory, patrons of the arts and sciences since antiquity, and long significant in French cultural circles.