French–English dictionary

placard

A cabinet, closet, or other piece of furniture with shelves intended for storing cookware, dishware, or food; similar cabinets or closets used for storing other items.

place

Room (space) in which to move or maneuver.

place du marché

An open area in a town housing a public market, often on just one day per week; a marketplace.

place du mort

(slang) The front passenger seat in a vehicle, next to the driver; so called because the position of the shotgun-armed guard on a horse-drawn stage-coach, wagon train, or gold transport was next to the driver on a forward-mounted bench seat. Can also be used in situations of claiming other resources such as bedrooms.

place forte

A place built to withstand attack; a fortress.

placebo

(medicine) A dummy medicine containing no active ingredients; an inert treatment. [from 18th c.]

placeholder

Something used or included temporarily or as a substitute for something that is not known or must remain generic; that which holds, denotes or reserves a place for something to come later.

placement

The act of placing or putting in place; the act of locating or positioning; the state of being placed.

placenta

(botany) In flowering plants, the part of the ovary where ovules develop; in non-flowering plants where the spores develop.

placer

(ergative) To earn a given spot in a competition; to rank at a certain position ((often followed by an ordinal)).

placer le curseur [[au-dessus]] [[d'un]] hyperlien

(computing) Chiefly followed by over: to use a mouse or other device to place a cursor over something on a screen such as a hyperlink or icon without clicking, so as to produce a result (such as the appearance of a tooltip).

placide

Motionless and calm.

placidité

The state of being placid; peacefulness.

placoter

To be engaged in informal conversation.

plafond

An artificial upper limit or ceiling.

plafonné

Of a graph or trend that has rapidly reached a maximum.

plafonner

(intransitive) (of a varying quantity) To reach a stable level after a period of increase; to level off.

plage

A horizontal strip of land, usually sandy, adjoining water.

plagiaire

One who plagiarizes; or lifts the words, writings, or ideas of another, and passes them off as his or her own, thus engaging in plagiarism; a literary thief

plagiat

(uncountable) Copying of another person's ideas, text, or other creative work, and presenting it as one's own, especially without permission; plagiarizing.

plagier

(ambitransitive) To use, and pass off as one's own, someone else's writing, speech, ideas, or other intellectual or creative work, especially in an academic context; to commit plagiarism.

plaid

A length of such material used as a piece of clothing, formerly worn in the Scottish Highlands and other parts of northern Britain and remaining as an item of ceremonial dress worn by members of Scottish pipe bands. [from 16thc.]

plaider

(Scots law, in higher courts) To call a case before itself for decision.

plaideur

(business) A person or organisation with a legitimate interest (a stake) in a given situation, action or enterprise.

plaie

(pathology) An epidemic or pandemic caused by any pestilence, but specifically by the above disease.

plaignant

(obsolete) An accuser.

plaignante

(law, UK, _, historic, otherwise, current) A party bringing a suit in civil law against a defendant; accuser.

plaindre

To whine or complain, often needlessly and incessantly.

plaine

An area which is considered particularly low or lower than surrounding areas.

plaine de jeux

(outdoors) A large open space for children to play in, usually having dedicated play equipment (such as swings and slides). [1780]

plainte

(legal) In a civil action, the first pleading of the plaintiff setting out the facts on which the claim is based.

plaintif

A person who endlessly whines or complains; a person who finds fault with anything.

plaire

To find attractive; to prefer the company of; to have mild romantic feelings for.

plaisant

Giving pleasure; pleasing in manner.

plaisanter

To tell a joke; to talk in a playful manner; to make fun of something or someone.

plaisanterie

Sharp, good-humoured, playful, typically spontaneous conversation.

plaisantin

One who jests, jokes or teases.

plaisantine

One who performs pranks.

plaisir

Joy; pleasure.

plan

Deliberate purpose; design; intent; scheme; plan.

plan à trois

An instance of sexual activity involving three people.

plan B

An alternative plan to be put into operation if needed, especially in case of emergencies, or if a primary plan fails.

plan canard

(transport, engineering, by extension) Any small winglike structure on a vehicle, usually used for stabilization.

plan cul

(vulgar, slang, not countable) A person considered as a sexual partner or sex object.

plan de cuisson

(UK, Irish, Commonwealth) The top cooking surface on a cooker; a cooktop. It typically comprises several cooking elements (often four), also known as 'rings'.

plan de repli

A backup plan or contingency strategy; an alternative which can be used if something goes wrong with the main plan; a recourse.

planaire

Of or pertaining to a plane.

planche

A relatively long, wide and thin piece of any material, usually wood or similar, often for use in construction or furniture-making.

planche à neige

A board, somewhat like a broad ski, or a very long skateboard with no wheels, used in the sport of snowboarding.

planche à roulettes

The act of riding on a skateboard.

planche de surf

A shaped waterproof plank, usually made of wood or foam and reinforced plastic, used to surf on waves.

planchette à pince

(computing) A buffer in memory where the user can store data temporarily while transferring it from one place within an application to another or between applications.

planchiste

Someone who pays for meals and lodging in a house rather than a hotel.

Planck

A surname from German.

plancton

(uncountable) Organisms, especially small and microscopic ones, that drift in water.

planéité

The state of being flat

planer

(intransitive) To fly unpowered, as of an aircraft. Also relates to gliding birds and flying fish.

planere

A kind of tree in the elm family (genus Zelkova). [from 19th c.]

planétaire

(engineering) An epicyclic gear; the middle gears in a planetary gear system, spun by the central sun gear

planétarium

A display museum in which images of stars and other astronomical phenomena are projected onto a domed ceiling.

planétoïde

(astronomy, dated) An asteroid of any size

planification

The act of formulating of a course of action, or of drawing up plans.

planifié

Planned.

planifier

(transitive) To create a plan for.

planitude

The state of being two-dimensional; planar : planarity

planning

A procedural plan, usually but not necessarily tabular in nature, indicating a sequence of operations and the planned times at which those operations are to occur. [from 19th c.]

planque

(Britain, informal) A job or task that is easy to do; a position that requires little work or is undemanding; a sinecure.

planquer

(transitive, dated) To hide, especially in a mean or cowardly manner.

plantage

(computing) A malfunction of computer software or hardware which causes it to shut down or become partially or totally inoperable.

plantain

Any plant of the genus Plantago, with a rosette of sessile leaves about 10 cm (4") long with a narrow part instead of a petiole, and with a spike inflorescence with the flower spacing varying widely among the species. See also psyllium.

plantation

A large farm; estate or area of land designated for agricultural growth. Often includes housing for the owner and workers.

plante

(botany) An organism that is not an animal, especially an organism capable of photosynthesis. Typically a small or herbaceous organism of this kind, rather than a tree.

planté de saules

(of a place) Having willow trees.

plante du pied

(footwear) The bottom of a shoe or boot.

plante grasse

A succulent plant.

plante grimpante

Any plant (as ivy or periwinkle) that grows by creeping, especially a climbing plant of the genus Parthenocissus.

planter

(computing, hardware, software, intransitive) To terminate or halt execution due to an exception.

planteur

Any member of a similar landed class of (often wealthy) farm owners elsewhere, such as plantation owners whose lands are worked by farm workers, wage slaves, or slaves.

plantoir

A tool with a handle on one end and a point on the other, used in the garden to poke holes in preparation for planting seeds, bulbs, etc.

planton

(military) A soldier who carries out minor tasks for a superior officer.

plantureuse

Having large breasts.

plantureux

(of a, woman) Having shapely and voluptuous curves; curvy.

plaquage

(sports, countable) A play where a player attempts to take control over the ball from an opponent, as in rugby or football.

plaque

A liner or other material added behind or underneath.

plaque d'immatriculation

An identifying tag, usually made of metal, bearing a sequence of letters or numbers identifying the vehicle, and placed at the rear and, often, also at the front of a motor vehicle.

plaque de plâtre

A building material comprising a sheet of gypsum sandwiched between two pieces of heavy paper, used mainly for interior walls and ceilings.

plaque minéralogique

An identifying tag, usually made of metal, bearing a sequence of letters or numbers identifying the vehicle, and placed at the rear and, often, also at the front of a motor vehicle.

plaque tournante

(rail transport, road transport) A rotating platform placed in a circular pit, used for turning locomotives, cars, or trucks.

plaqueminier

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

plaquer

(transitive) To coat (an object) with a thin layer of metal using electrolysis.

plastie

(in noun compounds) Plastic surgery.

plastifier

(transitive) To cover (something flat, usually paper) in adhesive protective plastic.

plastique

A synthetic, solid, hydrocarbon-based polymer, whether thermoplastic or thermosetting.

plastron

A piece of armor that covers the chest.

plastronnade

A prideful boasting or bragging.

plastronner

To behave (especially to walk or carry oneself) in a pompous, superior manner.

plat

(diving) A style of diving into a body of water in which the surface impact is made mostly by one's abdomen.

plat à emporter

(chiefly, UK, Australia, South Africa, and, New Zealand) A restaurant that sells food to be eaten elsewhere.

platane

(countable) A deciduous tree of the genus Platanus.

plate

(figurative) Lacking liveliness or action; depressed; uninteresting; dull and boring.

plate-bande

A strip of ground in which ornamental plants are grown.

plate-forme

(politics, figurative) A political stance on a broad set of issues, which are called planks.

plateau

Short for blackboard, whiteboard, chessboard, surfboard, circuit board, message board (on the Internet), bulletin board, etc.

plateau de tournage

the general locations and area where a movie’s, a film’s, or a video’s scenery is arranged to be filmed also including places for actors, assorted crew, director, producers which are typically not filmed.

platée

The quantity contained on a plate.

plateforme

(computing) A particular operating system or environment such as a database or other specific software; a particular type of computer or microprocessor, used for running other software.

platine

A whitish grey colour, like that of the metal.

platine tourne-disque

(music) The circular rotating platform of a record player or a disk jockey's console on which the record rests during play; (by extension) , a record player.

platitude

(rhetoric) Something, most often a phrase or expression, that is overused or used outside its original context, so that its original impact and meaning are lost. A trite saying; a platitude. [from 19th c.]

Platon

The Greek philosopher, 427–347 BC, follower of Socrates.

platonicien

Of or relating to the ancient Greek philosopher Plato or his philosophies.

platonique

Neither sexual nor romantic in nature; being or exhibiting platonic love.

plâtre

A supportive and immobilising device used to help mend broken bones.

plâtrer

(medicine) To set (a bone etc.) in a cast.

plats

(of hair) Straight and flat; thin and limp. (Often associated with being greasy.)

plausible

Seemingly or apparently valid, likely, or acceptable; conceivably true or likely.

play-boy

A single man, especially a wealthy one, who devotes himself to a life of leisure and pleasure, often sexual, without commitments or responsibilities.

playboy

A single man, especially a wealthy one, who devotes himself to a life of leisure and pleasure, often sexual, without commitments or responsibilities.

playmate

A woman who has appeared as the centerfold in Playboy magazine.

PlayStation

(video games, trademark) A video game console of the "PlayStation" brand.

plèbe

(collective) The common people; the masses. (Used with or without the definite article.)

plébéien

A member of the common people who holds no title or rank.

plébiscite

(law, politics) A direct popular vote on an issue of public importance, such as an amendment to the constitution, a change in the sovereignty of the nation, or some government policy.

plein

On a direct bearing, especially for the four points of the compass.

plein à craquer

(informal) Containing the maximum amount possible, flush on all sides, jam-packed, crammed.

plein air

(in the definite) Open or unobstructed space; an exposed location.

plein de courbes

Having loops.

plein de noix

Containing nuts.

plein de tact

Possessing tact; able to deal with people in a sensitive manner.

plein de thunes

(of a projectile weapon) Having a live round of ammunition in the chamber.

pleine

(mostly, not comparable) Carrying developing offspring within the body.

pleine conscience

(Buddhism, psychology) Paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgementally.

pleine forme

(dated) Sound, entire, healthy; robust, not impaired.

plénitude

Being full; completeness.

pléonasme

(countable) An expression that features tautology.

pléonastique

(uncomparable) Of, or relating to pleonasm.

plessage

An act or result of interweaving; specifically, (horticulture) a hedge or lattice created by interweaving the branches of shrubs, trees, etc.

plesser

(transitive) To unite by interweaving, as (horticulture) branches of shrubs, trees, etc., to create a hedge; to interlock, to plash.

plessis

An act or result of interweaving; specifically, (horticulture) a hedge or lattice created by interweaving the branches of shrubs, trees, etc.

Pléthon

Georgios Gemistos Plethon (c. 1355–1453), a Byzantine Greek philosopher.

pléthore

(postpositive) In abundance. [from late 17th c.]

pleur

A shedding of tears; the act of crying.

pleurer

To wail over; to feel or express deep sorrow for.

pleurer comme un veau

(chiefly, derogatory) To cry or weep freely and noisily; to sob.

pleurnichard

A baby who cries excessively.

pleurnicher

To cry weakly with a soft, high-pitched sound; to whimper; to whine.

pleurnicherie

A long-drawn, high-pitched complaining cry or sound.

pleurnicheur

A baby who cries excessively.

pleurnicheuse

A baby who cries excessively.

pleutre

An ignoble or total coward; a dastard; a mean-spirited wretch.