French

Use French in a sentence

A restaurant menu written in French.

adjective

The definition of French is someone or something associated with the country of France.
An example of French is food associated with France, such as escargots.

noun

French is the language spoken in France.
An example of French is the language spoken in Paris.

verb

French is defined as cutting food into thin strips or trimming all the meat and fat from the bone of a meat chop.
1. An example of french is to cut green beans into very thin strips.
2. An example of french is to trim off all the meat and fat from the rack of rib lamb chops before making it into circle for a crown rib roast.

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MLA Style

"French." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 10 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/French>.

APA Style

French. (n.d.). Retrieved December 10th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/French

French

the Romance language spoken chiefly in France, French Canada, and certain parts of Belgium, Switzerland, and Africa
[oftenf-]Brit. dry vermouth

Origin of French

Middle English Frensh from Old English Frencisc from Franca, a Frank

of France or its people, language, or culture

to trim the meat from the end of the bone of (a lamb or veal chop)
to cut (string beans) into long, thin slices before cooking

French Idioms

the French

the people of France

1850-1931; U.S. sculptor

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MLA Style

"French." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 10 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/French>.

APA Style

French. (n.d.). Retrieved December 10th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/French

french

transitive verb

frenched, french·ing, french·es

To cut (green beans, for example) into thin strips before cooking.
To trim fat or bone from (a chop, for example).
or French
a. Slang To give a French kiss to.
b. Vulgar Slang To perform oral sex on.

Origin of french

From French

French

adjective

Of, relating to, or characteristic of France or its people or culture.
Of or relating to the French language.

noun

The Romance language of France, parts of Switzerland and Belgium, and other countries formerly under French influence or control.
used with a pl. verb The people of France.
Informal Coarse or vulgar language: Pardon my French.

Origin of French

Middle English from Old English frencisc Frankish from Franca Frank ; see Frank .

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Link/Cite

Link to this page

Cite this page

MLA Style

"French." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 10 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/French>.

APA Style

French. (n.d.). Retrieved December 10th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/French

Verb

(third-person singular simple present frenches, present participle frenching, simple past and past participle frenched)

To prepare food by cutting it into strips.
To kiss (another person) while inserting one’s tongue into the other person's mouth.
(intransitive) To kiss in this manner.

Origin

Middle English French, Frens(c)h from Old English frencisc (“of the Franks, Frankish, French”), from Franca (“a Frank”). Compare Old High German Franko (“a Frank”), akin to Old English franca (“javelin, spear”), from the use of such weapons by the Franks.

Proper noun

A Romance language spoken primarily in France, Belgium, Switzerland, Quebec, Valle d'Aosta and many former French colonies.

Noun

(collective in the plural) People of France, collectively.
The French and the English have often been at war.
(informal) Vulgar language.
Pardon my French.

Usage notes

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

Adjective

(comparative more French, superlative most French)

Of or relating to France.
the French border with Italy
Of or relating to the people or culture of France.
French customs
Of or relating to the French language.
French verbs

Verb

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

To kiss (another person) while inserting one’s tongue into the other person's mouth.
(intransitive) To kiss in this manner.

Origin

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