French–English dictionary

pointeur

(programming) A variable that holds the address of a memory location where a value can be stored.

pointilleux

Excessively particular, demanding, or fussy about details, especially about tidiness and cleanliness.

points de suspension

(typography, mathematics) A mark consisting of multiple full stops (with or without spaces), used to indicate omitted, missing, or illegible words; or (in mathematics) that a pattern continues.

pointu

(botany) Having a sharp and stiff point.

poire

(informal, sometimes, derogatory) One who is gullible and easily duped.

poire de lavement

Something that produces the jet or current in the previous sense, such as a syringe.

poireau

A vegetable of variety Allium ampeloprasum, having edible leaves and an onion-like bulb but with a milder flavour than the onion.

poireau sauvage

An American plant, Allium tricoccum, related to the onion; a wild leek.

poirée

(uncountable, culinary) An edible leafy vegetable, Beta vulgaris subsp. cicla, with a slightly bitter taste.

poirette

A vegetable of variety Allium ampeloprasum, having edible leaves and an onion-like bulb but with a milder flavour than the onion.

poirier

A type of fruit tree (Pyrus communis).

pois chiche

A seed of this plant, often used as a food.

poise

(physics) A CGS unit of dynamic viscosity equal to one dyne-second per square centimetre.

poison

A substance that is harmful or lethal to a living organism when ingested.

poissard

Having ill luck.

poissarde

(archaic) A woman who sells or works with fish; a female fishmonger.

poisseux

Tending to stick; able to adhere via the drying of a viscous substance.

Poisson

Someone with a Pisces astrological sign.

poisson ballon

Any species of fish of the family Tetraodontidae that have the ability to inflate themselves to a globe several times their normal size by swallowing water or air when threatened.

poisson globe

Any species of fish of the family Tetraodontidae that have the ability to inflate themselves to a globe several times their normal size by swallowing water or air when threatened.

poisson rouge

A type of small fish, Carassius auratus, typically orange-colored.

poisson-chat

The meat of such a fish, popular in the Southern U.S. and Central Europe.

poissonnier

(British) A person who sells fish.

poissonnière

(British) A person who sells fish.

Poitiers

A city, the capital of Vienne department, Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, France.

poitrail

The ventral portion of an animal’s thorax.

poitrine

(anatomy) Either of the two organs on the front of a female human's chest, which contain the mammary glands; also the analogous organs in males.

poivre

A plant of the family Piperaceae.

poivrer

(transitive) To add pepper to.

poivrier

A plant of the family Piperaceae.

poivron

(North America, Philippines) Any of several bell-shaped varieties of Capsicum annuum, an edible, sweet, generally mild (not spicy) fruit, originating in the New World.

poix

A sticky, gummy substance secreted by trees; sap.

poker

(card games) All the four cards of the same rank.

poker face

(poker) An impassive facial expression cultivated to prevent other players from determining whether one's actions in the game are the result of a quality hand, or of bluffing.

polaire

(countable) A textile similar to velvet, but with a longer pile that gives it a softness and a higher sheen.

Polak

(now, _, North America, _, now, _, offensive) A Pole, or person of Polish descent.

polar

(film, literature) A suspenseful, sensational genre of story, book, play, film.

polaroïd

A print from such a camera.

pôle

The physical means or contrivances to make something (especially a public service) possible; the required equipment, infrastructure, location etc. [from 19th c.]

polémique

Arousing or likely to arouse controversy.

poli

Showing regard or thought for others; especially, displaying good manners or etiquette.

police

(informal) A police officer or prison guard.

police d'écriture

(computing, typography, metonymically) A computer file containing the code used to draw and compose the glyphs of one or more typographic fonts on a computer display or printer.

police d’écriture

(typography) The particular design of some type, font, or a font family.

police de caractères

(typography) The particular design of some type, font, or a font family.

policière

(police) A female police officer.

poliment

in a polite manner

polio

(pathology) Acute infection by the poliovirus, especially of the motor neurons in the spinal cord and brainstem, leading to muscle weakness, paralysis and sometimes deformity.

poliomyélite

(pathology) Acute infection by the poliovirus, especially of the motor neurons in the spinal cord and brainstem, leading to muscle weakness, paralysis and sometimes deformity.

polir

To scour; to burnish; to polish; to brighten; to cleanse; often with up or over.

polis

(historical) A Greek city-state.

polisson

Lacking restraint, or ignoring societal standards, particularly in sexual conduct; sexually unprincipled.

polissonnerie

(uncountable) Harm or trouble caused by an agent or brought about by a particular cause.

politesse

Speech or behaviour that is fit for civil interactions; politeness, courtesy. [from 16th c.]

politicien

One engaged in politics, especially an elected or appointed government official.

politicienne

One engaged in politics, especially an elected or appointed government official.

politie

(political science, countable) A politically organized unit, especially a nation of people, a class or ingroup that governs it, or the state ruled thereby.

politique

One engaged in politics, especially an elected or appointed government official.

politiquement

In a political manner.

politiquement correct

(countable) The result or product of being politically correct.

politisation

(politics) The state of being (or process of becoming) politicized

polka

A lively dance originating in Bohemia.

pollen

A fine, granular substance produced in flowers.

polliniser

To apply pollen to (a stigma).

polluant

A foreign substance that makes something dirty, or impure, especially waste from human activities.

pollué

tainted

pollupostage

(uncountable, rarely, countable, computing, Internet) Unsolicited bulk electronic messages.

Pollyanna

One who is persistently cheerful and optimistic, even when given cause not to be so.

polo

(uncountable) A ball game where two teams of players on horseback use long-handled mallets to propel the ball along the ground and into their opponent's goal.

Pologne

A country in Central Europe. Official name: Republic of Poland. Capital and largest city: Warsaw.

Polonais

A person from Poland or of Polish descent.

Polonaise

A person from Poland or of Polish descent.

polonium

A rare, highly radioactive chemical element (symbol Po) with atomic number 84.

poltergeist

(parapsychology) An unseen ghost which makes noises and causes disruption, especially by causing physical objects to move or fly about.

poltron

(countable, slang, sometimes, derogatory) A coward.

poly-

many

polyamour

Any of various practices involving romantic or sexual relationships with multiple partners with the knowledge and consent of all involved.

polyamoureux

Having relationships with multiple partners, with the knowledge and consent of all involved; engaging in polyamory.

polychromer

(transitive) To brighten with, or as with, a rainbow; to pattern with the colours of the rainbow.

polycopié

A printed sheet such as a leaflet or pamphlet, or a worksheet, that is given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use, for example as an advertisement or for information.

polydactylie

(medicine, teratology) A congenital condition in which a person or animal has more than the usual number of digits (fingers or toes) on at least one of the hands or feet.

polydactylisme

(medicine, teratology) A congenital condition in which a person or animal has more than the usual number of digits (fingers or toes) on at least one of the hands or feet.

polyester

A material or fabric made from polyester polymer

polygame

One who practices polygamy, or maintains that it is lawful.

polygamie

(often, especially in common use) Synonym of polygyny (“marriage of a man to more than one wife, the practice of having several wives at the same time”).

polyglotte

(of a person) Able to communicate in a number of languages.

polygynie

The state or practice of having several wives at the same time; plurality of wives; marriage to several wives.

polymathe

A person with extraordinarily broad and comprehensive knowledge.

Polynésie

A continental region of Oceania, including Easter Island, Hawaii, New Zealand, and most of the islands between them.

Polynésien

A person from Polynesia.

Polynésienne

A person from Polynesia.

polyphonie

(music) Musical texture consisting of several independent melodic voices, as opposed to music with just one voice (monophony) or music with one dominant melodic voice accompanied by chords (homophony).

polystyrène

(organic chemistry) A vinylic polymer of styrene, CH2CHphenyl.

polystyrène expansé

Expanded polystyrene foam, such as is used in cups and packaging.

polytechnique

(UK, dated) An educational institute that teaches applied arts and sciences rather than academic subjects.

polythéisme

The belief in the existence of multiple gods.

polythéiste

a believer in, or advocate of, polytheism

polyvalence

The property of being versatile or having many different abilities.

polyvalent

Capable of doing many things competently.

pom-pom girl

(chiefly, US) A person, usually a young, attractive female, who encourages applause and cheers at a sports event, and wearing a specially-designed uniform in the official colors of the team he/she cheers for.

pomélo

The large spherical tart fruit produced by this tree.

pommade

(chiefly, UK) A sweet-smelling oil or resin derived from various plants.

pomme

A tree of the genus Malus; especially Malus domestica which is cultivated for its edible fruit; the apple tree. [from 15th c.]

pomme de pin

The fruit of a conifer.

pomme de terre

A plant of species Solanum tuberosum or its edible starchy tuber.

pommette

The small prominent bone of the cheek.

pompage

(aviation) A momentary reversal of the airflow through the compressor section of a jet engine due to disruption of the airflow entering the engine's air intake, accompanied by loud banging noises, emission of flame, and temporary loss of thrust.

pompe

(now, _, chiefly, Australia, and, New Zealand) A fuel metering/delivery pump at a filling station.

pompe à vent

A structure somewhat like a windmill for pumping water, either for drainage or for irrigation

pompe éolienne

A structure somewhat like a windmill for pumping water, either for drainage or for irrigation

Pompée

(historical) Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, a military and political leader of the late Roman Republic.

Pompéi

A city and commune in the Metropolitan City of Naples, Campania, Italy.

pomper

(transitive) To remove a liquid or gas by means of suction.

pomper le dard

(transitive, vulgar) To perform oral sex on (someone); to fellate.

pompette

(informal) intoxicated

pompeux

(of a person, their language or writing) showy in speech and given to using flowery or elaborate terms; grandiloquent; pompous

pompier

(firefighting) A person who has been trained to put out fires.

pompière

(firefighting) A person who has been trained to put out fires.

pompon

A furry ball attached on top of a hat.

ponce

A light, porous type of pyroclastic igneous rock, formed during explosive volcanic eruptions when liquid lava is ejected into water or air as a froth containing masses of gas bubbles, which are frozen into the rock as the lava solidifies.

ponceau

A channel crossing under a road or railway for the draining of water.

poncer

To remove paint or light scratches from the surface by friction, wearing it out by polishing or blasting with sand or by employing some similar method.

ponceuse

A machine to mechanize the process of sanding.

poncho

A simple garment, made from a rectangle of cloth, with a slit in the middle for the head.

poncif

(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.]

ponctualité

The state of being punctual

ponctuation

A set of symbols and marks which are used to clarify meaning in text by separating strings of words into clauses, phrases and sentences; examples include commas, hyphens, and stops (periods).

ponctuel

Occurring once, independent of any pattern; one-time.

ponctuellement

Regularly; at the proper time.

ponctuer

(transitive) To add (something) at frequent intervals.

pondérer

(transitive, mathematics) To assign weights to individual statistics.

pondeuse

A hen kept to lay eggs; a breed of chicken bred to maximize laying output.

poney

A young or little horse; foal; pony.

Pont

An ancient kingdom and cultural region covering the eastern half of the southern coast of the Black Sea, in Anatolia in modern Turkey; traditionally Greek-speaking.

pont autoroutier

A section of a road or path that crosses over an obstacle, especially another road, railway, etc.

pont-levis

A hinged bridge which can be raised (to prevent its being crossed, as across a moat, or to allow watercraft to travel beneath it).

pontage

(medicine) An alternative passage created to divert a bodily fluid around a damaged organ; the surgical procedure to construct such a bypass.

ponte

An important, powerful or influential person; muckamuck.

pontife

A learned person in India; someone with knowledge of Sanskrit, philosophy, religion and law; a Hindu scholar. [from 17th c.]

pontifiant

Tending to use aphorisms or maxims; especially, to such an extent as to engage in trite moralizing, even self-righteously so.

pontifical

Of or pertaining to a pontiff.

pontificat

The status or term of office of a pontiff or pontifex.

pontifier

To speak formally; to give a speech.

ponton

A raised platform built from the shore out over water, supported on piles; used to secure, or provide access to shipping; a jetty.

Pontos

(Greek god) A sea god, particularly of the Black Sea.

pool

A small and rather deep area of (usually) fresh water, as one supplied by a spring, or occurring in the course of a stream or river; a reservoir for water.

pop

Pop music.

popcorn

(chiefly, uncountable) A snack food made from corn or maize kernels popped by dry heating.

pope

(Russian Orthodoxy) , a Russian Orthodox priest.

poper

(ergative, video games) To appear, or cause (something or someone) to appear, spontaneously in a game world at a particular place and time.