French

¹

[ french ]

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of France or its inhabitants, language, or culture:

   French cooking.

noun

1. (used with a plural verb) the people of France collectively:

   Philosophies advanced by the French during the Age of Reason profoundly influenced the American Founding Fathers.

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

verb (used with object)

1. (often lowercase) to prepare (food) according to a French method.
2. (often lowercase) to cut (snap beans) into slivers or thin strips before cooking.
3. (often lowercase) to trim the meat from the end of (a rib chop or chicken breast with attached wing):

   For this recipe, the chops on the rack of lamb are Frenched about an inch. To french a chicken breast, scrape down the meat on the wing to expose the bone.

4. (often lowercase) to prepare (meat) for cooking by slicing it into strips and pounding.
5. Slang. to short-sheet (a bed).
6. (often lowercase) Slang. to give (someone) a French kiss:

   Her parents found her frenching her boyfriend on the porch swing after curfew.

7. (often lowercase) Slang: Vulgar. to perform fellatio or cunnilingus on.

French

²

[ french ]

noun

1. Alice Octave Thanet, 1850–1934, U.S. novelist and short-story writer.
2. Daniel Chester, 1850–1931, U.S. sculptor.
3. Sir John Den·ton Pink·stone [den, -tn-, pingk, -stohn, -st, uh, n], 1st Earl of Ypres, 1852–1925, English field marshal in World War I.
4. Marilyn, 1929–2009, U.S. novelist and nonfiction writer.

French

¹

/ frɛntʃ /

noun

1. FrenchSir John Denton Pinkstone, 1st Earl of Ypres18521925MBritishMILITARY: generalPOLITICS: administrator 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)

French

²

/ frɛntʃ /

noun

1. 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
2. the French
   functioning as plural the natives, citizens, or inhabitants of France collectively
3. See French vermouth

adjective

1. relating to, denoting, or characteristic of France, the French, or their language Franco-Gallo-
2. (in Canada) of or relating to French Canadians

Derived Forms

• ˈFrenchness, noun

Other Words From

• Frenchness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of French¹

First recorded before 1150; Middle English Frennsce, Frensh, French, from Old English Frencisc; Frank, -ish ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of French¹

Old English Frencisc French, Frankish; see Frank

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. excuse / pardon one's French, (used to excuse or apologize for the use of vulgarity):

   Pardon my French—I didn’t realize there were ladies present.

Example Sentences

It does not help that he only speaks in French at a club obsessed with its history and traditions.

From BBC

A French trader reportedly won nearly $50 million after predicting Trump would win the popular vote, the Wall Street Journal reported.

From Salon

Forty years after they began the task – and nearly four hundred years after receiving their first commission – sages in Paris have finally produced a new edition of the definitive French dictionary.

From BBC

The last queen of France was guillotined in 1793 at the age of 37, along with her husband at the height of the French Revolution.

From BBC

He published an English translation of “The Camp of the Saints,” a French novel written by Jean Raspail.

From Salon

Related Words

• brush
• glance
• graze
• greet
• salute