French

From Middle English Frenche, Frensch, Frensc, Frenshe, Frenkisch, Franche, from Old English Frenċisċ (“French”, literally “Frankish”), equivalent to Frank +‎ -ish. Cognate with Danish fransk (“French”), Swedish fransk, fransysk (“French”), Icelandic franska (“French”). Compare Frankish.

• (UK, US) enPR: frĕnch, IPA^(key): /fɹɛnt͡ʃ/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛntʃ
• Rhymes: -ɪntʃ

French (countable and uncountable, plural French)

1. (uncountable) A Romance language spoken primarily in France, Belgium, Switzerland, Quebec, Valle d'Aosta and many former French colonies.
   • 1997, Albert Valdman, French and Creole in Louisiana, page 29:

     Almost three quarters of the population 65 and older reported speaking French.

   • 2004, Jack Flam, Matisse and Picasso: The Story of Their Rivalry and Friendship, page 18:

     Although he would spend the rest of his life in France, Picasso never mastered the language, and during those early years he was especially self-conscious about how bad his French was.

2. (collective in the plural) People of France, collectively.

   The French and the English have often been at war.

   • 2002, Jeremy Thornton, The French and Indian War, page 14:

     On the way, scouts reported that some French were heading toward them across the ice.

3. (informal) Vulgar language.

   Pardon my French.

When used to refer collectively to people of France, the word French is preceded by the definite article or some other determiner.

• (language): Middle French, Modern French, Old French
• (people from France): French from France, French French (Canada)
• pardon my French

• Wiktionary's coverage of French terms
• Appendix:French Swadesh list for a Swadesh list of basic vocabulary words in French

French

1. A surname​.

• Frenchburg

French (comparative more French, superlative most French)

1. Of or relating to France.

   the French border with Italy

   • 2015 May 3, John Oliver, “Standardized Testing”, in Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, season 2, episode 12, HBO:

     That must have hurt, especially because you knew the French children weren’t even trying. “Uh, go on, play weez your seellee nambeurs. Zey tell you nosseeng of ze true naytcheur of ze soula. I’ll weepa for you.”

2. Of or relating to the people or culture of France.

   French customs

3. Of or relating to the French language.

   French verbs

4. (prostitute's slang) Oral sex, usually meaning fellatio, sometimes cunnilingus.[1]

• Gallian, Gallic, Gaulish

French (third-person singular simple present Frenches, present participle Frenching, simple past and past participle Frenched)

1. Alternative letter-case form of french
   • 1995, Jack Womack, Random Acts of Senseless Violence, page 87:

     Even before I thought about what I was doing we Frenched and kissed with tongues.

• french

• Frenched

• Franco-

• ISO 639-1 code fr, ISO 639-3 code fra
• Ethnologue entry for French, fr