French

[ french ]

/ frɛntʃ /

adjective

of, relating to, or characteristic of France, its inhabitants, or their language, culture, etc.: French cooking.

noun

the people of France and their direct descendants.

a Romance language spoken in France, parts of Belgium and Switzerland, and in areas colonized after 1500 by France.

verb (used with object)

(often lowercase) to prepare (food) according to a French method.

(often lowercase) to cut (snap beans) into slivers or thin strips before cooking.

(often lowercase) to trim the meat from the end of (a rib chop).

(often lowercase) to prepare (meat) for cooking by slicing it into strips and pounding.

Slang. to short-sheet (a bed).

(often lowercase) Slang: Vulgar. to give oral stimulation of the penis or vulva.

Origin of French

before 1150; Middle English Frensh, French, Old English Frenc(sc). See Frank, -ish¹

OTHER WORDS FROM French

French·ness, noun

Definition for french (2 of 2)

French ²

[ french ]

/ frɛntʃ /

noun

AliceOctave Thanet,1850–1934, U.S. novelist and short-story writer.

Daniel Chester,1850–1931, U.S. sculptor.

Sir John Den·ton Pink·stone

[den-tn pingk-stohn, -stuh n] /ˈdɛn tn ˈpɪŋk stoʊn, -stən/, 1st Earl of Ypres,1852–1925, English field marshal in World War I.

Marilyn,1929–2009, U.S. novelist and nonfiction writer.

Example sentences from the Web for french

As far as I can tell, this magazine spent as much time making fun of French politicians as it did of Muslims or Islam.

Harry Shearer on The Dangerous Business of Satire |Lloyd Grove |January 8, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
The comedian responded to the deadly attack on a French satirical magazine by renewing his recent criticisms of the Islamic faith.

Bill Maher: Hundreds of Millions of Muslims Support Attack on ‘Charlie Hebdo’ |Lloyd Grove |January 8, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
The FBI has also been searching its records for any information that could assist the French investigation, a spokesperson added.

U.S. Spies See Al Qaeda Fingerprints on Paris Massacre |Shane Harris, Nancy A. Youssef |January 8, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
Gunshots rang out in Paris this morning on a second day of deadly violence that has stunned the French capital.

France Mourns—and Hunts |Nico Hines, Christopher Dickey |January 8, 2015 |DAILY BEAST

I think the response of the French government so far has been pretty appropriate in that regard.

Harry Shearer on The Dangerous Business of Satire |Lloyd Grove |January 8, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
It was well known what the French wished, and it was time to declare it plainly.

Abridgment of the Debates of Congress, from 1789 to 1856, Vol. II (of 16) |Thomas Hart Benton
The English minsters are long, narrow and low in contrast with the greater squareness and height of French contemporary churches.

The Brochure Series of Architectural Illustration, vol. 06, No. 12, December 1900 |Various
The French, and to some extent the English, dispense with introductions at a private ball.

Our Deportment |John H. Young
For commercial purposes the English method of making the spawn into bricks has some advantages over the French "flake" process.

Student's Hand-book of Mushrooms of America, Edible and Poisonous |Thomas Taylor
Touraine, too, has the reputation of being that part of France where is spoken the purest French.

Castles and Chateaux of Old Touraine and the Loire Country |Francis Miltoun

British Dictionary definitions for french (1 of 2)

French ¹

/ (frɛntʃ) /

noun

the official language of France: also an official language of Switzerland, Belgium, Canada, and certain other countries. It is the native language of approximately 70 million people; also used for diplomacy. Historically, French is an Indo-European language belonging to the Romance group See also Old French, Anglo-French

the French (functioning as plural) the natives, citizens, or inhabitants of France collectively

See French vermouth

adjective

relating to, denoting, or characteristic of France, the French, or their language Related prefixes: Franco-, Gallo-

(in Canada) of or relating to French Canadians

Derived forms of French

Frenchness, noun

Word Origin for French

Old English Frencisc French, Frankish; see Frank

British Dictionary definitions for french (2 of 2)

French ²

/ (frɛntʃ) /

noun

Sir John Denton Pinkstone, 1st Earl of Ypres. 1852–1925, British field marshal in World War I: commanded the British Expeditionary Force in France and Belgium (1914–15); Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (1918–21)

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

French

adjective

noun

verb (used with object)

Origin of French

OTHER WORDS FROM French

Definition for french (2 of 2)

noun

Example sentences from the Web for french

British Dictionary definitions for french (1 of 2)

noun

adjective

Derived forms of French

Word Origin for French

British Dictionary definitions for french (2 of 2)

noun

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

French

adjective

noun

verb (used with object)

Origin of French

OTHER WORDS FROM French

Definition for french (2 of 2)

noun

Content related to french

Words related to french

Example sentences from the Web for french

British Dictionary definitions for french (1 of 2)

noun

adjective

Derived forms of French

Word Origin for French

British Dictionary definitions for french (2 of 2)

noun