French–English dictionary

pleuvioter

(impersonal) To rain lightly.

pleuvoir

Indicates that rain is falling.

pleuvoir à verse

(intransitive, informal) To rain heavily.

pleuvoir des cordes

(idiomatic) To rain heavily.

plexus

(anatomy) A network of anastomosing or interwoven nerves, blood vessels, or lymphatic vessels.

pli

(card games) The distribution of cards to players; a player's turn for this.

pli piqué

(sewing) A fold that is stitched on a garment.

pliable

Designed to be collapsed, especially so as to be more compact when not in use.

pliage

An act of folding.

pliant

Designed to fold

plicaturé

(biology) Folded multiple times lengthwise like a fan, usually lending stiffness to a flat structure such as a leaf; corrugated; pleated.

plicaturer

(chiefly, _, biology) To fold or pleat (usually used in passive).

plier

(transitive) To force to submit.

plier bagage

(intransitive, business) Of a company, to cease to trade.

plieur

A machine or person that folds things.

plieuse

A type of machine for bending sheet metal. (See wikipedia.)

Pline

An ancient Roman praenomen.

plinthe

(carpentry) A narrow strip of wood, especially sapwood, cut from the edge of a board or plank.

plissé

Having pleats.

plissement

The action of folding; a fold.

plissement des yeux

An expression in which the eyes are partly closed.

plisser

(transitive) To form one or more pleats in a piece of fabric or a garment.

plisser les yeux

(intransitive) To look with the eyes partly closed, as in bright sunlight, or as a threatening expression.

plomb

The dangling mass of a pendulum or plumb line.

plombage

(dentistry) Any material used to fill a cavity in a tooth or the result of using such material.

plombagine

(mineral, now, chiefly, historical) Graphite. [from 18th c.]

plomber

To reveal the ending of (a story); to spoil.

plomberie

(countable) A place where plumbing is carried out

plombeur

(dated) One who works in or with lead.

plombier

One who furnishes, fits, and repairs pipes and other apparatus for the conveyance of water, gas, or drainage.

plongeant

That or who dives or dive.

plongée

(idiomatic) The view from directly or high above.

plongée sous-marine

The sport of jumping into water, often acrobatically.

plongement

The action of the verb to dive in any sense.

plongeon

A jump or plunge into water.

plonger

(transitive) To lower (a flag), particularly a national ensign, to a partially hoisted position in order to render or to return a salute. While lowered, the flag is said to be “at the dip.” A flag being carried on a staff may be dipped by leaning it forward at an approximate angle of 45 degrees.

plonger dans

(transitive) To lay (something) as in a bed; to lay in surrounding matter; to bed.

plongeur

A machine for washing dishes.

plongeuse

A machine for washing dishes.

plouc

A yokel, country bumpkin.

plouf

(onomatopoeia) The sound made by an object hitting a liquid.

ploutocrate

Someone who rules by virtue of his or her wealth.

ployer

(figuratively) To lose firmness, elasticity, vigor, or a thriving state; to sink; to droop; to flag; to bend; to yield, as the mind or spirits, under the pressure of care, trouble, doubt, or the like; to be unsettled or unbalanced.

pluche

A textile fabric with a nap or shag on one side, longer and softer than the nap of velvet.

pluie

(weather) A short, mild period of rainfall.

pluie torrentielle

A storm characterized by substantial, heavy rainfall.

plumage

(ornithology, collective noun) Layer or collection of feathers covering a bird’s body; feathers used ornamentally; feathering.

plumard

(US, slang) A bed.

plumbago

(botany) A plant of the genus Plumbago; leadwort. [from 17th c.]

plume

A branching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds, used for flight, swimming, protection and display.

plumée

(ornithology, collective noun) Layer or collection of feathers covering a bird’s body; feathers used ornamentally; feathering.

plumer

(transitive) To con or trick (someone) out of money.

plumet

(archaic, literary, and, poetic) A cluster of feathers worn as an ornament, especially on a helmet; a hackle.

plumeux

Covered with feathers.

plumule

(botany) The first bud, or growing point, of a plant embryo, situated above the cotyledons.

pluralité

(uncountable) The state of being plural.

pluriel

Consisting of or containing more than one of something.

plurilingue

Of a person: speaking, or versed in, many languages; multilingual.

plus

One more further, in addition to the quantity by then; a second or additional one, similar in likeness or in effect.

plus de

Surpassing in number or quantity; more than. [first attested around 1350–1470]

plus en retard

Coming afterward in time (used with than when comparing with another time).

plus grand

Greater in number, quantity, or extent.

plus important

Greater in number, quantity, or extent.

plus loin

(comparative form of far) To a greater extent or degree.

plus mauvais

(for non-slang definitions)

plus ou moins

Very nearly; everything short of. Most often precedes a verb or adjective.

plus que

instead of; in preference to.

plus tard

(idiomatic) Further along, in terms of time or progress.

plus tôt

previously; before now; sooner

plusieurs

before a countable noun: A large, indefinite number of.

plussoyer

(Internet, social media, transitive) To show support for, or approval of, something posted on the Internet by marking it with a vote.

plutonien

(astronomy) Of or relating to the dwarf planet Pluto.

Plutonienne

(chiefly, science fiction) An inhabitant of the dwarf planet Pluto.

plutonique

(by extension, geology, historical) Synonym of plutonic (“of, pertaining to, or supporting plutonism, the theory that the rocks of the Earth were formed in fire by volcanic activity, with a continuing gradual process of weathering and erosion, then deposited on the sea bed, re-formed into layers of sedimentary rock by heat and pressure, and raised again”).

plutonium

The transuranic chemical element with atomic number 94 and symbol Pu: a silvery-gray fissile radioactive actinide metal that tarnishes when exposed to air.

plutôt

In the place of something (usually mentioned earlier); as a substitute or alternative.

plutôt que

Used to indicate that the following alternative is less preferred.

pluvial

(liturgy) A long, loose cloak worn by a priest, deacon, or bishop when presiding over a ceremony other than the Mass.

pluvieux

Pouring with rain; wet; showery

PME

Initialism of small to medium business.

pneu

Tires with metal protrusions used for improved traction on snow and ice in winter.

pneu lisse

(sports, automotive) A tire with a smooth surface instead of a tread pattern, often used in auto racing.

pneumatique

Able to be inflated or blown up.

pneumatophore

The floating organ of siphonophores, such as the Portuguese man-of-war.

pneumonie

Inflammation of the lungs caused by viruses, bacteria or other infectious microorganisms.

pneumothorax

(medicine) Presence of air inside the pleural cavity, usually caused by injury either to the lung or the chest wall.

Pô

The longest river in Italy, which flows 652 kilometers eastward to the Adriatic Sea near Venice.

poche

(countable, uncountable) In certain phrases: money.

poche de minerai

(geology, mining) An unusual concentration of ore in a lode or a small, discontinuous occurrence or patch of ore in the wallrock.

poche minéralisée

(geology, mining) An unusual concentration of ore in a lode or a small, discontinuous occurrence or patch of ore in the wallrock.

pocher

(transitive) To cook (something) in simmering or very hot liquid (usually water; sometimes wine, broth, or otherwise).

pochette

A small handbag or purse with no straps or handle.

pochoir

A thin sheet, either perforated or using some other technique, with which a pattern may be produced upon a surface; a utensil that contains a perforated sheet.

podcaster

(transitive) To deliver (information) in the form of a program, especially an audio program, over the Internet on a regular basis for playback on computers or portable devices such as mobile phones. [from early 21st c.]

podestat

A powerful leader; a monarch; a ruler.

podium

(fashion) A narrow elevated stage on which models parade.

podologue

(medicine) A health care practitioner who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of foot ailments.

poêle

(countable, British) A heater or stove used in place of a real fire (such as an electric fire).

poète

A person who writes poems.

poétesse

A person who writes poems.

poétique

(philosophy, literature) The theory of poetry, or of literature in general.

pogner

(informal, transitive) To grab or snatch something.

pognon

(uncountable, slang) Money.

pogoter

(intransitive) To dance by intentionally jumping into and colliding with other, similarly behaving dancers, and performing other wild, aggressive, or spastic movements.

poids

(idiomatic, figurative) A characteristic, possession, associate, or previous deed that hinders one's ability to succeed.

poids et contrepoids

(politics) A system for multiple branches of government wherein each has some control over the actions of each of the others.

poids lourd

A lorry, truck or other large vehicle used to transport cargo with a total weight of at least 3.5 tonnes.

poignard

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

poignarder

(transitive) To pierce or to wound (somebody) with a (usually pointed) tool or weapon, especially a knife or dagger.

poigne

A tight grip.

poignée

That which is, or may be, held in a hand at once.

poignée de main

(obsolete) A contract, agreement, covenant; specifically betrothal, espousal.

poignet

(anatomy) The complex joint between forearm bones, carpus, and metacarpals where the hand is attached to the arm; the carpus in a narrow sense.

poil

The hairs or other filaments that make up a brush, broom, or similar item, typically made from plant cellulose, animal hairs, or synthetic polymers.

poil de barbe

That part of the beard which grows upon the sides of the face, usually of the male, or upon the chin, or upon both.

poil de carotte

(Australia, slang) A nickname commonly given to a red-headed person.

poils

(uncountable) The collection or mass of such growths growing from the skin of humans and animals, and forming a covering for a part of the head or for any part or the whole body.

poilu

Covered with fur, or with something resembling fur.

poinçon

(by extension) Any decorative fitting on the corner, end, or top of an object such as a canopy, a fencepost, a flagpole, a curtain rod, or the newel post of a staircase.

poinçonnage

(countable) A device, generally slender and round, used for creating holes in thin material, for driving an object through a hole in a containing object, or to stamp or emboss a mark or design on a surface.

poinçonner

To employ a punch to create a hole in or stamp or emboss a mark on something.

poinçonneur

(rail transport) A person who takes tickets on public transportation and also helps passengers.

poinçonneuse

(countable) A mechanism for punching holes in paper or other thin material.

poing

A hand with the fingers clenched or curled inward.

point

(orthography, typography) A period/full stop ⟨.⟩ or middot ⟨·⟩ used to set off the decimal or fractional part of a number, traditionally widely used in some countries but not others.

point barre

(idiomatic) The previous encapsulates my view.

point d'appui

(climbing) A solid grip with the feet.

point d’eau

(astronomy) A part of the electromagnetic spectrum, between the regions where hydrogen and hydroxyl radiate, that is relatively quiet in terms of radio astronomy.

point de contrôle

A point or place where a check is performed, especially a point along a road or on a frontier where travellers are stopped for inspection.

point de côté

(countable, and, uncountable) An intense stabbing pain under the lower edge of the ribcage, brought on by exercise or laughing.

point de drisse

The top edge of a sail.

point de rebroussement

(geometry) A point of a curve where the curve is continuous but has no derivative, but such that it has a derivative at every nearby point.

point de référence

A surveyor's mark made on some stationary object and shown on a map; used as a reference point.

point de rencontre

A place at which one is regularly found; a habitation or hangout.

point de repère

A recognizable natural or man-made feature used for navigation.

point de sauvegarde

(computing) A situation, often represented by a point in time, at which the state of a database system is known to be valid, and to which it can be returned in the event of a crisis by using a combination of backups and logs; the data stored at this event.

point de vie

(video games) The amount of damage an in-game object can withstand before it is destroyed.

point de vue

A viewpoint; a way of looking at something.

point du jour

The beginning of the day; the first moment of daylight.

point en haut

(typography) The punctuation mark ⟨·⟩.

point faible

A point of vulnerability in a defence.

point final

(colloquial) Used to emphasize the end of an important statement or point when speaking to show something is not up for discussion or debate.

point fort

A positive attribute.

point médian

(typography) The punctuation mark ⟨·⟩.

point mort

(intransitive) Of an engine: to run at a slow speed, or out of gear; to tick over.

pointage

The number of points accrued by each of the participants in a game, expressed as a ratio or a series of numbers.

pointe

(idiomatic, by extension, often with "on the") The forefront, or position of greatest advancement in some field.

pointe des pieds

(usually, in the plural) The tip of the toe.

pointeau

The indentation left by such a tool.

pointer

(transitive) To aim a weapon at a target.