French

¹ American  

[french] / frɛntʃ /

adjective

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

   French cooking.

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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.

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.

French ² American  

[french] / frɛntʃ /

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.

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French ¹ British  

/ 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

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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 British  

/ 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)

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Other Word Forms

• Frenchness noun

Etymology

Origin of French

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

Example Sentences

That figure is understood to be a result of sales between two clubs in a multi-club model being excluded, with Chelsea having the same owners as French outfit Strasbourg.

From BBC

During the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, a French father who was based in Japan staged a hunger strike, calling attention to what he said was the kidnapping of his children by his ex-wife.

From BBC

"We're giving ourselves a little more time -- two to three weeks –- to try to reach an agreement between the French and Germans, between Dassault and Airbus," he said at a forum in Paris.

From Barron's

Rousseau was criticized for not sharing his condolences in French.

From The Wall Street Journal

Canadian author Jack Jedwab wrote in French language newspaper La Presse that Rousseau's lack of French knowledge sends a message to Air Canada employees that "bilingualism is a constraint, not a value".

From BBC

Related Words

• brush
• glance
• graze
• greet
• salute