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),  to give (someone) a French kiss.

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

7. (often lowercase),  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 Denton Pinkstone 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. 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. (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

2. (in Canada) of or relating to French Canadians

French

²

/ frɛntʃ /

noun

1. 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)

Other Word Forms

• Frenchness 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

Speaking at the gathering in Johannesburg, French President Emmanuel Macron said the plan "cannot simply be an American proposal", adding that any agreement had to also guarantee security for "all Europeans".

Read more on BBC

According to the gallery, Riley's inspiration for the exhibition title came from a letter from Claude Monet to fellow French painter Eugène Boudin.

Read more on BBC

The Sri Lankan national was wanted by French authorities and appeared at a court in London on Thursday.

Read more on BBC

Marseille climbed provisionally top of the French Ligue 1 on Friday after walloping woeful Nice 5-1 in a one-sided local derby with fireworks on and off the pitch.

Read more on Barron's

Nothing was more frustrating to them on the eve of the French Revolution than the realization that the majority of Frenchmen didn’t speak French.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• brush 
• glance 
• graze 
• greet 
• salute