French–English dictionary

justesse

Freedom from error.

justice

The property of being fair or equitable.

justice sociale

Fairness in society.

justiciable

(legal) Of or pertaining to justiciability; able to be evaluated and resolved by the courts; that can be adjudicated.

justicier

One who flouts the law or conventional wisdom; one who ignores rules or logic to behave according to his or her own standards.

justifiable

That can be argued; that can be proven or strongly supported with sound logical deduction, precedent, and evidence.

justification

A justification or rationalization for something.

justifié

Having a justification.

justifier

To relieve of an imputation by apology or defense; to make apology for as not seriously evil; to ask pardon or indulgence for.

Justin

A en given name.

juter

(transitive) To extract the juice from something.

juteux

Having lots of juice.

Jutland

A cultural region and peninsula in northwestern Europe, consisting of the mainland part of Denmark and Schleswig-Holstein, which is part of Germany.

juvénile

Young or seeming young.

juvénilité

The state or quality of being juvenile.

juxtaposer

(transitive) To place side by side, especially for contrast or comparison.

juxtaposition

The nearness of objects with little or no delimiter.

K-way

A waterproof coat to be worn in the rain.

K7

A small flat case containing magnetic tape on two reels, used to record and play back audio and video material.

ka

The name of the Latin-script letter K/k.

kabbale

(Judaism) A body of mystical Jewish teachings based on an esoteric reading of the Hebrew scriptures.

Kaboul

The capital and largest city of Afghanistan.

kaboulien

Of, from or relating to the city of Kabul, capital of Afghanistan. [from 1887]

kaboulienne

Of, from or relating to the city of Kabul, capital of Afghanistan. [from 1887]

kabuki

(often, capitalized) A form of Japanese theatre in which elaborately costumed male performers use stylized movements, dances, and songs in order to enact tragedies and comedies.

Kadhafi

A transliteration of the Arabic surname القَذَّافِيّ (al-qaḏḏāfiyy).

kafir

(Islam, countable, offensive, religious slur, political) A disbeliever, a denier: someone who rejects or disbelieves in Allah or the tenets of Islam; or more broadly any non-Muslim.

kafkaïen

Marked by a senseless, disorienting, often menacing complexity.

kaiser

An emperor of a German-speaking country, particularly the Holy Roman Empire (962–1806), the Austrian Empire/Austria-Hungary (1806–1918), or the German Empire (1871–1918) — often specifically Wilhelm II.

kaki

A persimmon, specifically a Japanese persimmon (Diospyros kaki).

kakistocratie

(political science) Government under the control of a nation's worst or least-qualified citizens. [from 1829.]

kalash

A particular model of Russian assault rifle.

kalashnikov

A particular model of Russian assault rifle.

kaléidoscope

An instrument consisting of a tube containing mirrors and loose, colourful beads or other objects; when the tube is looked into and rotated, a succession of symmetrical designs can be seen. [from 1817]

Kâlî

(Hinduism) A male demon, lord of Kali Yuga and the nemesis of Kalki, tenth avatar of Vishnu.

Kama

A major river in Russia, the longest left tributary of the Volga.

kamikazer

(transitive) To destroy (a ship, etc.) in a suicide attack, especially by crashing an aircraft.

kan

(historical) A ruler over various Turkic and Mongol peoples in the Middle Ages.

kana

The hiragana and katakana syllabaries. These are made up of characters that represent individual syllables, which are used to write Japanese words and particles. Kana are derived from kanji.

kandjar

(weapons) A stabbing weapon, similar to a sword but with a short, double-edged blade.

kangourou

A member of the Macropodidae family of large marsupials with strong hind legs for hopping, native to Australia. [from 18th c.]

kanji

Any character used in the written form of several languages of China, Japan, Korea and Vietnam.

kannada

The Dravidian language that is the official language of the state of Karnataka, India.

kannara

The Dravidian language that is the official language of the state of Karnataka, India.

kaolin

A fine clay, rich in kaolinite, used in ceramics, paper-making, etc.

Karachi

The largest city in Pakistan situated along the Arabian Sea, as well as the provincial capital of Sindh Province.

karaoké

(uncountable) A form of entertainment popular in clubs, at parties, etc, in which individual members of the public sing along to pre-recorded instrumental versions of popular songs, the lyrics of which are displayed for the singer on a screen in time with the music.

karaté

An Okinawan martial art involving primarily punching and kicking, but additionally, advanced throws, arm bars, grappling and all means of fighting.

karen

A member of a diverse ethnic group originating in Myanmar and Thailand.

Karin

A en given name.

Karine

A en given name.

karité

The fruit of this tree, having a thin, tart, nutritious pulp that surrounds a relatively large, oil-rich seed.

karma

(Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Jainism) The sum total of a person's actions, which determine the person's next incarnation in samsara, the cycle of death and rebirth.

karmique

Of or pertaining to karma.

Karnataka

A state in southern India. Capital: Bangalore.

Karyne

A en given name.

kasbah

The fortress in a city in North Africa or the Middle East.

kascher

(Judaism) Fit for use or consumption, in accordance with Jewish law (especially relating to food).

kashrout

(Jewish law) The Jewish dietary laws, stating which foods are fit to eat.

katakana

(uncountable) A Japanese syllabary used when writing words borrowed from foreign languages other than Chinese, specific names of plants and animals and other jargon, onomatopoeia, or to emphasize a word or phrase. Also used to write the Ainu language.

katana

(weaponry) A type of Japanese longsword, having a single edge and slight curvature, historically used by samurai and ninja.

Katar

A country in West Asia in the Middle East. Official name: State of Qatar. Capital: Doha.

Kathmandu

The capital city of Nepal.

Katia

A en given name, equivalent to English Kate.

Katmandou

The capital city of Nepal.

Kātmāndū

The capital city of Nepal.

kawaiité

(chiefly, in the context of Japanese culture) The quality of being kawaii; cuteness.

kawaïté

(chiefly, in the context of Japanese culture) The quality of being kawaii; cuteness.

kayak

A type of small boat, covered over by a surface deck, powered by the occupant or occupants using a double-bladed paddle in a sitting position, from a hole in the surface deck.

kayaker

(intransitive) To use a kayak, to travel or race in a kayak.

Kazakhstan

A country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Official name: Republic of Kazakhstan.

Kazan

The capital and largest city of the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia.

kazoo

(musical instrument) A simple musical instrument (a membranophone) consisting of a pipe with a hole in it, producing a buzzing sound when the player hums into it.

kazou

(musical instrument) A simple musical instrument (a membranophone) consisting of a pipe with a hole in it, producing a buzzing sound when the player hums into it.

kébab

(British) A dish of pieces of meat, fish, or vegetables roasted on a skewer or spit, especially a doner kebab.

kebap

(British) A dish of pieces of meat, fish, or vegetables roasted on a skewer or spit, especially a doner kebab.

Kelly

A en given name.

kelp

Any of several large brown algae seaweeds (order Laminariales).

kelvin

In the International System of Units, the base unit of thermodynamic temperature; 1⁄273.16 of the thermodynamic temperature of the triple point of water.

kendo

A Japanese martial art using "swords" of split bamboo.

Kent

A maritime county in southeast England bordered by East Sussex, Surrey, Greater London, the North Sea and the English Channel.

Kenya

A country in East Africa. Official name: Republic of Kenya.

kényan

Of, from, or pertaining to Kenya or the Kenyan people.

kératine

(protein) The protein of which hair and nails are composed.

kermesse

A festival open to the public, the proceeds from which are often given to charity.

kérosène

A thin, often colorless or blue or straw-colored petroleum-based fuel, heavier than gasoline/petrol or naphtha but lighter than diesel, used primarily as jet fuel but also for heating and lighting in some remote or impoverished areas.

Kerr

A surname.

ketchup

(uncountable, chiefly, US, Canada, UK) Ellipsis of tomato ketchup (“a tomato-vinegar-based sauce, sometimes containing spices, onion or garlic, and (especially in the US) sweeteners”).

kete

The Yeniseian language of the Ket people.

kettlebell

A weight consisting of a cast iron ball with a single handle for gripping the weight during exercise.

keuf

(informal) A police officer or prison guard.

keupon

Ellipsis of punk rocker, a musician known for playing punk rock or a fan of the genre. [1976]

keupone

Ellipsis of punk rocker, a musician known for playing punk rock or a fan of the genre. [1976]

Kevin

A en given name.

Khalid

A en given name.

khan

(historical) A ruler over various Turkic and Mongol peoples in the Middle Ages.

Khartoum

The capital city of Sudan.

khat

A shrub, Catha edulis, whose leaves are used as a mild stimulant when chewed or brewed as tea; also a drug produced from this plant.

khi

The twenty-second letter of the Classical and Modern Greek alphabets.

khmer

Of or pertaining to the Khmer people or their language.

Khrouchtchev

English transliteration of the Russian surname Хрущёв; usually refers to the Russian revolutionary and Soviet Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU(b) Nikita Khrushchev.

Khrouchtchiov

English transliteration of the Russian surname Хрущёв; usually refers to the Russian revolutionary and Soviet Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU(b) Nikita Khrushchev.

Khrouchtchov

English transliteration of the Russian surname Хрущёв; usually refers to the Russian revolutionary and Soviet Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU(b) Nikita Khrushchev.

kibboutz

A community, usually an agricultural one in Israel, based on a high level of social and economical sharing, equality, direct democracy and tight social relations.

kick

(informal, by extension) The human object of such infatuation or affection.

kick-boxing

(martial arts) A hybrid martial art derived from Muay Thai, karate, and especially boxing during the 1960s to 1970s; more generally, any stand-up combat sport that combines kicks and punches.

kicker

(transitive, Internet) To forcibly remove a participant from an online activity.

kidnapper

(transitive) To seize or detain a person unlawfully and move or conceal them; sometimes for ransom. [from 17th c.]

kidnappeur

A person who kidnaps someone.

kidnappeuse

A person who kidnaps someone.

kidnapping

The crime, or an instance, of kidnapping.

kielbasa

A spicy, smoked sausage of a particular kind from Eastern Europe.

kiffer

(dated, _, slang, transitive) To appreciate, or like.

kikongo

A Bantu language (or family of languages) of Central Africa.

Kilimandjaro

A volcano in Tanzania, the highest peak in Africa at 5,895 meters (19,321 feet).

kill

(video games, slang) A successful kill in a deathmatch game. A point or score (when considered collectively) gained by successfully killing opponents in a deathmatch game.

kilo

(international standards) Alternative letter-case form of Kilo from the NATO/ICAO Phonetic Alphabet.

kilo-

(computing, deprecated) .

kilocalorie

A non-SI unit of energy equal to 1,000 calories (small calories), used (now rare) in chemistry or physics; equal to 1 calorie as used in nutrition. Symbol kcal.

kilocycle

(elliptically) A thousand cycles per second; a kilohertz.

kilogramme

In the International System of Units, the base unit of mass; conceived of as the mass of one litre of water, but now defined by taking the fixed numerical value of the Planck constant h to be 6.626 070 15 × 10-34 when expressed in units of kg⋅m2⋅s−1. Symbol: kg

kilohertz

A unit of frequency equal to one thousand cycles per second; one thousand hertz

kilometrage

The total distance travelled in miles or in air miles.

kilomètre

(metrology) An SI unit of length equal to 103 metres. Symbol: km

Kim

A surname from Korean

kimchi

A Korean dish made of vegetables, such as cabbage or radishes, that are salted, seasoned, and stored in sealed containers to undergo lactic acid fermentation.

kimono

A traditional Japanese T-shaped, wrapped-front garment with square sleeves and a rectangular body, now generally worn only on formal occasions.

kinèse

(biology) The movement of an organism in response to an external stimulus.

kinésie

(biology) The movement of an organism in response to an external stimulus.

kinésithérapie

(British, Commonwealth, Irish) Therapy that uses physical techniques such as massage, ultrasound, heat, and exercise.

kiosque

A small, open-air platform or enclosure for bands to play on, usually roofed.

kiosque à journaux

A retail business selling newspapers, magazines, and stationery; a stationer.

kiosque à musique

A small, open-air platform or enclosure for bands to play on, usually roofed.

kippa

(Judaism, headwear) The cloth skullcap or yarmulke traditionally worn by male Jews.

kirigami

An art similar to origami, with cutting permitted.

kirsch

(often capitalized) A clear brandy made from black cherries: kirschwasser.

Kissinger

A surname.

kitch

Art, decorative objects, and other forms of representation of questionable artistic or aesthetic value; a representation that is excessively sentimental, overdone, or vulgar.

Kitchener

A city in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.

kitsch

(informal) Overdramatic, excessively emotional or clichéd, trite, contrived.

kitsune

(Japanese mythology) A Japanese fox spirit, often but not exclusively female, said to have powers such as shape-shifting, and whose power is symbolized by increase in number of tails.

kiwi

A flightless bird of the order Apterygiformes native to New Zealand.

klaxon

The harsh note produced by a typical car horn.

klaxonner

(transitive, intransitive) To use a car horn.

Kleenex

(North America) A disposable tissue.

kleptocratie

A corrupt and dishonest government or society characterised by theft and greed.

kleptomane

One who steals compulsively.

Klingon

(countable) A member of an alien warrior race in the Star Trek universe with distinctive forehead ridges and a culture based on the strict observance of honor, loyalty, and combat.

knickerbockers

Men's or boys' baggy knee breeches, of a type particularly popular in the early 20th century.

knickers

Men's or boys' baggy knee breeches, of a type particularly popular in the early 20th century.