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French

Pronunciation: /frɛn(t)ʃ/

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Definition of French

adjective

  • relating to France or its people or language: the French government her accent is very French

noun

  • 1 [mass noun] the language of France, also used in parts of Belgium, Switzerland, and Canada, in several countries of northern and western Africa and the Caribbean, and elsewhere: I am fluent in French [as modifier]:French lessons
  • 2 (as plural noun the French) the people of France collectively: the French, they say, live to eat

French is the first or official language of over 200 million people and is widely used as a second language. It is a Romance language which developed from the Latin spoken in Gaul; it had a very great influence on English as the language of the Norman ruling class

Phrases

(if you'll) excuse (or pardon) my French

informal used to apologize for swearing.

Derivatives

Frenchness

noun

Origin:

Old English Frencisc, of Germanic origin, from the base of Frank

French in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of French in the US English dictionary

Nearby words

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