French–English dictionary

multiplier

(transitive) To achieve something.

multitâche

(computing) The simultaneous execution of multiple tasks (programs) under the control of an interrupt-driven operating system.

multitude

A large (but unspecified) number, a lot.

multivers

(physics, cosmology) The hypothetical group of all the possible universes in existence.

Mumbai

A megacity, the capital of Maharashtra, India, also known as Bombay.

Munich

The capital and largest city of Bavaria, Germany.

munichois

The capital and largest city of Bavaria, Germany.

municipal

Of or pertaining to a municipality (a city or a corporation having the right of administering local government).

municipalité

A district with a government that typically encloses no other governed districts; a borough, city, or incorporated town or village.

munition

Articles used in charging firearms and ordnance of all kinds; as powder, balls, shot, shells, percussion caps, rockets, etc.

munition non explosée

(informal) A device or machine that is useless because it does not work properly or has failed to work, such as a bomb, or explosive projectile.

munitions

Articles used in charging firearms and ordnance of all kinds; as powder, balls, shot, shells, percussion caps, rockets, etc.

muqueux

Pertaining to mucus.

mûr

Fully developed; grown up in terms of physical appearance, behaviour or thinking; ripe.

mur coupe-feu

(architecture) A fireproof barrier used to prevent the spread of fire between or through buildings, structures, electrical substation transformers, or within an aircraft or vehicle.

muraille

(anatomy) The external smooth horny layer of a hoof.

mûre

A fruit-bearing shrub of the aggregate species Rubus fruticosus and some hybrids.

mûre écrasée

(countable) The fruit of this tree.

mûre sauvage

A fruit-bearing shrub of the aggregate species Rubus fruticosus and some hybrids.

murène

Any of the large cosmopolitan carnivorous eels of the family Muraenidae.

murge

(slang) A bout of heavy drinking.

Muriel

A en given name of mostly British usage.

Murielle

A en given name of mostly British usage.

mûrier

A fruit-bearing shrub of the aggregate species Rubus fruticosus and some hybrids.

mûrir

(idiomatic, by extension) To mature, or become fully developed.

murmuration

(ornithology, collective) A flock of starlings, in particular when swarming in swirling patterns.

murmure

A sound like that of water gently flowing around obstructions.

murmurer

(intransitive) To make a continuous murmuring noise, like shallow water running over stones.

murs

A structure built for defense surrounding a city, castle etc.

musaraigne

Any of numerous small, mouselike, chiefly nocturnal, mammals of the family Soricidae.

musc

A greasy secretion with a powerful odour, produced in a glandular sac of the male musk deer and used in the manufacture of perfumes.

muscade

The aromatic seed of this tree, used as a spice.

muscader

(transitive) To flavour with nutmeg.

muscadier

An evergreen tree (Myristica fragrans) cultivated in the East Indies for its spicy seeds.

musclé

Brawny, thewy, having strength.

musclor

(bodybuilding) A man with developed muscles.

muscovite

(mineral) A pale brown mineral of the mica group, being a basic potassium aluminosilicate with the chemical formula KAl2(Si3Al)O10(OH,F)2; used as an electrical insulator etc.

musculaire

(relational) Of, relating to, or connected with muscles.

musculeux

Brawny, thewy, having strength.

Muse

One of the nine Ancient Greek deities of the arts.

museau

The protruding part of an animal's head which includes the nose, mouth and jaws.

musée

A building or institution dedicated to the acquisition, conservation, study, exhibition, and educational interpretation of objects having scientific, historical, cultural or artistic value.

museler

(transitive, figuratively) To restrain (from speaking, expressing opinion or acting); to gag; to silence; to censor.

muselière

A device used to prevent an animal from biting or eating, which is worn on its snout.

musette

A sack or bag for feeding a horse, mule, ox or similar animal, generally on the move or away from the home stable or paddock. Designed to be attached to harness and slipped over the animal's nose to permit feeding while eliminating spillage; designs vary.

muséum

A building or institution dedicated to the acquisition, conservation, study, exhibition, and educational interpretation of objects having scientific, historical, cultural or artistic value.

musical

Of, belonging or relating to music, or to its performance or notation.

musicalement

In a musical manner.

musicalité

The condition of being musical.

musicien

Fond of music; discriminating with regard to music; gifted or skilled in music.

musicienne

Fond of music; discriminating with regard to music; gifted or skilled in music.

musique de film

A recording of such music for sale.

musique instrumentale

(music) A composition written or performed without lyrics or singing, using a lead instrument to replace vocals.

musoir

A triangular piece of land where roads meet.

must

Best of its kind.

musulman

Being or relating to a believer of Islam.

musulmane

A person who is a follower and believer of Islam.

mutable

Changeable, dynamic, evolutive; inclined to change, evolve, mutate.

mutagène

Any agent or substance that can cause genetic mutation.

mutant

(genetics) That which has mutated, with one or more new characteristics from a mutation.

mutation

(countable, uncountable) The process of becoming different.

muter

(intransitive) To become something different.

mutilation

Infliction of violent injury on a person or thing.

mutiler

To wound seriously; to cause permanent loss of function of a limb or part of the body.

mutin

Mischievous; of or befitting an imp.

mutinerie

An organized rebellion against a legally constituted authority, especially by seamen against their officers.

mutualisme

(ecology) Any interaction between two species that benefits both; typically involves the exchange of substances or services.

mutualité

The property of being mutual.

mutuellement

In the same way, each to the other; reciprocally

muzak

(music, trademark) Recorded background music characterized by soft, soothing instrumental sounds which is transmitted by wire, radio, or recorded media (originally on a subscription basis) to doctors' offices, shops, and other business premises. [from 1934]

Myanmar

A country in Southeast Asia. Official name: Republic of the Union of Myanmar. Capital: Naypyidaw. Also known as Burma (which was formerly the official name).

mycoderme

Something that is the greatest or most significant of its kind. (See mother of all.)

Myconos

An island of the Cyclades, Greece.

Mykonos

An island of the Cyclades, Greece.

myocarde

(anatomy, cardiology) The striated and involuntary muscle of the vertebrate heart.

myocardique

(cardiology) Relating to the myocardium, the thick muscular wall of the heart.

myoclonie

A sudden, often uncontrolled movement, especially of the human body.

myope

One who has myopia.

myopie

The property of being nearsighted, myopia.

Myriam

A en given name.

myrmécopie à bandes

A small marsupial carnivore, Myrmecobius fasciatus, endemic to western Australia, that eats almost exclusively termites.

myrrhe

A red-brown resinous material, the dried sap of a tree of the species Commiphora myrrha, used as perfume, incense or medicine.

myrte

An evergreen shrub or small tree of the genus Myrtus, native to southern Europe and north Africa.

myrte des marais

A shrub, also called sweet gale or bog myrtle (Myrica gale), that grows on moors and fens.

myrtille américaine

A shrub growing this fruit.

Mysore

A large city, district, and division of Karnataka, India.

mystère

(performing arts) A medieval dramatic performance depicting events from Christian scriptures, especially events from the life of Jesus Christ.

mystérieusement

(figuratively) In a manner which produces an inward conviction of future misfortune; ominously.

mystérieux

Mystified or of an obscure nature; not easy to perceive.

mystificateur

(informal) A person who professes beliefs or opinions that they do not hold.

mystification

Anything deliberately intended to deceive or trick.

mystique

Of, or relating to mystics, mysticism or occult mysteries; mystical.

mythique

Existing in myth.

mythomane

(figurative) A liar.

mythonner

(intransitive) To give false information intentionally with intent to deceive.

myxine

Any of several primitive eellike fish, of the family Myxinidae, having a sucking mouth with rasping teeth, and sometimes used as food or for eelskin leather.

n'est-ce pas

(informal, chiefly, Canada, Northern US, New Zealand, AU, UK) Used as a tag question, to emphasise what goes before or to request that the listener express an opinion about what has been said.

n'importe

Irrespective of, regardless of, in spite of.

n'importe comment

In a haphazard manner; in a random, chaotic, and incomplete manner.

n'importe où

In or at any location.

n'importe quand

At any time.

n'importe quel

A/an, each or some, no matter its/their identity or nature.

n'importe quelle

Regardless of the ... that; for any ... that.

n'importe qui

Any thing(s) or person(s).

n'importe quoi

(also, attributive) A miscellaneous item or a miscellany, especially exemplifying an indiscriminate profusion.

n'importe quoi !

An emphatic rejection of something one has just heard and does not believe or agree with.

n’importe quoi

Any object, act, state, event, or fact whatsoever; a thing of any kind; something or other.

na

(childish, informal, often, humorous) A hostile taunt, often repeated in a singsong voice.

nabot

(derogatory, offensive) A short person. [from later 19th c.]

nacelle

The car or basket of a hot-air balloon, airship, zeppelin, etc.

nacelle latérale

A one-wheeled attachment to the side of a motorcycle to allow for a separate seat for a passenger or cargo space.

nacho

A single tortilla chip from a dish of nachos.

Nadège

(rare) A en given name.

Nadia

A en given name used since the twentieth century.

Nadine

(rare) A en given name.

nadir

The point of the celestial sphere, directly opposite the zenith; inferior pole of the horizon; point of the celestial sphere directly under the place of observation.

nâga

(Indian mythology) A member of a class of semi-divine creatures, often taking the form of a very large snake and associated with water.

Nagasaki

A prefecture of Japan.

nage

The act or art of sustaining and propelling the body in water.

nageoire

(ichthyology, zootomy) One of the appendages of a fish, used to propel itself and to manoeuvre/maneuver.

nager

(intransitive) To swim under water.

nageur

One who swims.

nageur-sauveteur

A lifesaver: a rescuer, usually an expert swimmer, employed to save swimmers in trouble or near drowning at a body of water.

nageuse

One who swims.

naïf

Naive; innocent; ingenuous.

nain

(especially in, _, botany) Miniature.

Nain Tracassin

A fairy tale about a dwarf who saves the miller’s daughter by spinning straw into gold in exchange for her first-born child, but is foiled when she guesses his name.

naine

(especially in, _, botany) Miniature.

Nairobi

The capital city of Kenya.

naissance

(countable) An instance of childbirth.

naitre

(intransitive) To spring up; to come into action, being, or notice; to become operative, sensible, or visible; to begin to act a part; to present itself.

naja

Any of various venomous snakes of the genus Naja.

namasté

The traditional greeting when saying the word namaste, with folded hands and a slight bow.

Namibie

A country in Southern Africa. Official name: Republic of Namibia. Capital: Windhoek.

nan

(informal) No.

nana

(UK, Ireland, colloquial, by extension) A girlfriend. [from early 20th c.]

nananananère

(slang, childish) An interjection generally used when gloating about a perceived cause of humiliation or inferiority for the person being addressed, often when disagreeing with a statement considered incorrect or irrelevant.

nananère

(North America, idiomatic, colloquial, childish, pejorative, taunt, often) A taunt or putdown, typically used to indicate that the speaker believes he or she has beaten the listener in a competition or is better in some other way or in a general sense; or an expression of satisfaction that the listener has received some supposedly deserved minor punishment or misfortune (that is to say, schadenfreude). [c. mid 20th century?]

nandou

A large flightless bird of the order Rheiformes, native to South America.

nanifier

(transitive) To render (much) smaller, turn into a dwarf (version).

naniser

(transitive) To render (much) smaller, turn into a dwarf (version).

Nankin

A major subprovincial city, the provincial capital of Jiangsu, China, on the lower Yangtze; a former capital of China.

nanoseconde

(metrology) An SI unit of time equal to 10−9 seconds. Symbol: ns

nanotechnologie

The science and technology of creating nanoparticles and of manufacturing machines which have sizes within the range of nanometres (1–100 nm).

Nantes

A municipality in Le Granit Regional County Municipality, Estrie region, Quebec, Canada.

nanti

Possessing financial wealth; rich.

nantis

The wealthy or privileged, contrasted to those who are poor or deprived: the have-nots.

nantissement

(finance) A security or guarantee (usually an asset) pledged for the repayment of a loan if one cannot procure enough funds to repay.

napalm

A highly flammable, viscous substance, designed to stick to the body while burning, used in warfare as an incendiary especially in wooded areas. [from 1942]

napoléonien

Of or pertaining to Napoleon Bonaparte.