French–English dictionary

babiller

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

babine

A fold of fatty flesh under the chin, around the cheeks, or lower jaw (as a dewlap, wattle, crop, or double chin).

babiole

A cheap showy ornament or piece of jewellery; a gewgaw.

bâbord

(nautical) Of or relating to port, the left-hand side of a vessel when facing the bow.

baby

A type of shoe, usually for a girl, having a rounded toe and a strap with a buckle.

baby-foot

(chiefly, _, US, Canada) table soccer (US), table football (UK)

baby-sitter

A person who cares for one or more babies or children for a short period of time in place of their legal guardians.

baby-sitting

The work of a babysitter; the care of children in the temporary absence of their parents or guardians.

Babylone

(historical) An ancient city, the ancient capital of Babylonia in modern Iraq, built on the banks of the Euphrates.

babylonien

(historical) Pertaining to the city of Babylon, or the Babylonian Empire. [from 16th c.]

babysitteuse

A person who cares for one or more babies or children for a short period of time in place of their legal guardians.

bac

(England, Wales) A non-compulsory examination taken in the final two years of secondary education as a requisite for university or other tertiary education; the qualification obtained by passing such an exam

bac à sable

A box filled with sand that is shaped to form a mould for metal casting.

baccara

(card games) A card game resembling chemin de fer with many forms - usually entailing the player(s) betting against two or three hands dealt - also bearing some similarities to blackjack.

bacchanales

(Greek mythology) A feast or an orgy in honor of Bacchus.

bacchante

A growth of facial hair between the nose and the upper lip.

Bacchus

(Roman god) Dionysus, the Greek god of wine and vivid social gatherings.

Bach

(music) Johann Sebastian Bach, a German organist and composer.

bâche

A tarpaulin or plastic waterproof sheet.

bachelor

The first or lowest academical degree conferred by universities and colleges; a bachelor's degree.

bachot

(slang, British) Vigorous study at an educational institution.

bachotage

(slang, British) Vigorous study at an educational institution.

bachoter

(transitive) To press, force, or drive, particularly in filling, or in thrusting one thing into another; to stuff; to fill to superfluity.

bachoteur

(slang, British) One who swots; a boffin, nerd, or smart aleck.

backgammon

A board game for two players in which each has 15 stones which move between 24 triangular points according to the roll of a pair of dice; the object is to move all of one's pieces around, and bear them off the board.

backroom

A darkened room where sexual activity can take place, especially one in a gay club.

backslash

The punctuation mark \.

bâclé

(slang, somewhat, vulgar) Poorly or incompetently done; desultory.

bâcler

(transitive, idiomatic) To do (something) quickly, in a slipshod, or unprofessional manner, especially performing or composing music or a piece of writing.

bactérie

(microbiology) A single-celled organism with cell walls but no nucleus or organelles.

bactérien

(microbiology) Of, relating to, or caused by bacteria.

bactériologie

(biology, microbiology) The scientific study of bacteria, especially in relation to disease and agriculture.

badaud

A person who, although present at some event, does not take part in it; an observer, witness, or spectator.

badaude

(originally, US) A person who rubbernecks; someone who cranes their neck as though it were made of rubber to see something (such as a tourist attraction) or to watch an event (such as an accident); a rubberneck.

baderne

An ill-tempered person full of stubborn ideas or opinions, often an older man.

badge

A small nameplate, identifying the wearer, and often giving additional information.

badigeon

(uncountable) A mixture of a powdered mineral substance (often slaked lime (containing calcium hydroxide), chalk (calcium carbonate), or both) and water which is used for painting surfaces such as fences and walls bright white.

badigeonner

(transitive) To attempt to remove (a substance) from a surface by rubbing.

badin

Characterised or marked by frolicking; playful.

badinage

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

badine

A stick, rod or bundle of twigs made from birch wood, used for punishment.

badiner

To engage in badinage or playful banter.

badlands

(geomorphology) An arid terrain characterized by severe erosion of sedimentary rocks.

badminton

(uncountable) A racquet sport played indoors on a court by two opposing players (singles) or two opposing pairs of players (doubles), in which a shuttlecock is volleyed over a net and the competitions are presided by an umpire in British English and a referee in American English.

bâdrer

(transitive) To annoy, to disturb, to irritate; to be troublesome to, to make trouble for.

Baekje

(historical) An ancient kingdom in modern Korea, one of the Three Kingdoms, existing from 18 BCE to 660 CE; at its maximum covering most of modern western South Korea.

baffle

Loudspeaker.

bafouer

(transitive) To laugh at or mock (someone or something) harshly; to ridicule, to scorn.

bafouillage

Nonsense, foolish talk.

bâfrer

(intransitive) To eat greedily, and to satiety; to stuff oneself.

bagarre

A disorderly argument or fight, usually with a large number of people involved.

bagarreur

One who brawls, engages in noisy, unseemly fights.

bagatelle

A trifle; an insubstantial thing.

Bagdad

The capital city of Iraq.

bagel

A toroidal bread roll that is boiled before it is baked.

bagnard

A person deported to a penal colony.

bagnole

(automotive, slang) An old, worn-out car. From a stereotypical one backfiring, making banging noises.

bagou

Talk, especially meaningless or unimportant talk.

bague

A ring (often ornamental and/or precious) designed to be worn on a finger.

baguel

A toroidal bread roll that is boiled before it is baked.

baguenaudage

A wasting of time in idleness or trifles. [from 16th c.]

baguer

(transitive, ornithology) To fasten an identifying band around the leg of (a bird).

baguette

A variety of bread that is long and narrow in shape.

baguette de tambour

(music) A stick used to play a percussion instrument.

bah

Disdainful indication that something is obvious.

bah oui

Disdainful indication that something is obvious.

Bahamas

An archipelago and country in the Caribbean. Official name: Commonwealth of The Bahamas.

Bahia

A state of the Northeast Region, Brazil. Capital: Salvador.

Bahrayn

An archipelago, island, and country in West Asia in the Persian Gulf. Official name: Kingdom of Bahrain. Capital: Manama.

Bahreïn

An archipelago, island, and country in West Asia in the Persian Gulf. Official name: Kingdom of Bahrain. Capital: Manama.

baht

The official currency of Thailand, equal to 100 satang.

bai

(especially, of horses) Of a reddish-brown colour.

baie

(geography) A body of water (especially the sea) contained by a concave shoreline.

baignade

(British, colloquial) The act of swimming or bathing, especially in the sea, a lake, or a river; a swimming bath.

baignade à poil

Swimming in the nude, as opposed to with a swimsuit.

baigner

(transitive, Commonwealth) To wash a person or animal in a bath.

baigneur

One who bathes (cleans oneself with water, for example in a bathtub).

baigneuse

One who bathes (cleans oneself with water, for example in a bathtub).

baignoire

A tub or pool which is used for bathing: bathtub.

bail

(US, informal, hyperbole) A long period of time.

bâillement

The action of yawning; opening the mouth widely and taking a long, rather deep breath, often because one is tired or bored.

bailler

To transfer one's possession or holding of (something) to (someone).

bailleur

(property law) The owner of property that is leased; the landlord to a lease.

bâilleuse

A person who works slowly, making a great effort with little result; a person who studies laboriously.

bailliage

The district within which a bailie or bailiff has jurisdiction.

bâillon

A device to restrain speech, such as a rag in the mouth secured with tape or a rubber ball threaded onto a cord or strap.

bain

A tub or pool which is used for bathing: bathtub.

bain de bouche

A liquid used to clean one's mouth.

bain de foule

(British) A public stroll by some celebrity to meet a group of people informally.

bain de minuit

Swimming in the nude, as opposed to with a swimsuit.

bain de sang

Indiscriminate killing or slaughter; a massacre.

baise

(vulgar, slang) An act of sexual intercourse.

baiser

(slang, ambitransitive, vulgar) To engage in sexual intercourse.

baisse

The act of something being lowered.

baisser

(transitive) To lower, as in condition in life, office, rank, etc., so as to cause pain or hurt feelings; to degrade, to depress, to humble, to humiliate. [from c. 1350–1470]

baissier

(finance) An investor who sells commodities, securities, or futures in anticipation of a fall in prices. [1744]

bajoue

The jaw, jawbone; especially one of the lateral parts of the mandible.

baklava

A sweet pastry found in many cuisines of the Middle East and the Balkans, made of chopped nuts layered with phyllo pastry. [since c. 1650; modern spelling since 1800s]

Bakou

The capital city of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

bakufu

(historical, Japan) The office or dignity of a shogun.

bal

A formal dance.

bal de promo

(US) A formal ball held at a high school or college on special occasions; e.g., near the end of the academic year.

bal des finissants

(US) A formal ball held at a high school or college on special occasions; e.g., near the end of the academic year.

bal du printemps

(US) A formal ball held at a high school or college on special occasions; e.g., near the end of the academic year.

bal masqué

A ball (formal dance) in which the dancers wear masks or fancy dress.

balade

A short excursion for pleasure or refreshment; a ramble; a short journey.

balade en mer

A trip in a boat, especially a sailboat.

balade en voilier

A trip in a boat, especially a sailboat.

balader

To wander on foot; to ramble idly or leisurely; to rove.

baladeur

One who wanders aimlessly, who roams, who travels at a lounging pace. One who walks to observe and enjoy rather than to get somewhere.

baladodiffuser

(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.]

balafre

A permanent mark on the skin, sometimes caused by the healing of a wound.

balai

(countable) A domestic utensil with fibers bound together at the end of a long handle, used for sweeping.

balai magique

A broom imbued with magic, enabling one to fly astride the handle.

balaise

Characterized by brawn; muscular, thewy; strong.

Balance

Someone with a Libra star sign

balancement

The act of swaying; a swaying motion; a swing or sweep of a weapon.

balancer

(transitive) To bring (items) to an equipoise, as the scales of a balance by adjusting the weights.

balancier

(watchmaking) A device used to regulate the speed of a watch, clock etc.

balançoire

A structure composed of a plank, balanced in the middle, used as a game in which one person goes up as the other goes down.

balançoire à bascule

A structure composed of a plank, balanced in the middle, used as a game in which one person goes up as the other goes down.

balanin

Any of many tens of thousands of species of herbivorous beetles, ranging in size from tiny to large, in the superfamily Curculionoidea, the most characteristic species having the head projecting in a distinctive snout with the mouthparts at the tip.

balayage

A single action of sweeping.

balayer

(transitive, intransitive) To sweep with a broom.

balayette

A small handheld broom with a small (or no) handle.

balayeur

A person who is employed to sweep streets, pavements, and gutters, keeping them clear of litter.

balbutiement

(countable, uncountable) sounds produced by infant during the babbling period

balbutier

(transitive) To utter with a stammer, or with timid hesitancy.

balbuzard

A bird of prey of genus Pandion that feeds on fish and has white underparts and long, narrow wings each ending in four finger-like extensions.

balbuzard pêcheur

A bird of prey of genus Pandion that feeds on fish and has white underparts and long, narrow wings each ending in four finger-like extensions.

balcon

The uppermost seating area projecting from the rear or side walls of a theater, concert hall, or auditorium.

balconnet

A half-cup bra, generally with a low horizontal cut, designed to be worn under a low-cut top.

baldaquin

(countable) A canopy suspended over an altar or throne, originally made of this fabric; a ciborium.

bale

The inedible parts of a grain-producing plant.

baleine

One of the rigid parts of a corset that forms its frame, the boning, originally made of whalebone.

baleineau

The young of various animals, especially elephant, giraffe, reindeer, seal, or whale (also indiscriminately used of other animals).

baleinelle

The young of various animals, especially elephant, giraffe, reindeer, seal, or whale (also indiscriminately used of other animals).

baleinier

(nautical) A seagoing vessel used for hunting whales.

baleinon

The young of various animals, especially elephant, giraffe, reindeer, seal, or whale (also indiscriminately used of other animals).

balèze

Characterized by brawn; muscular, thewy; strong.

Bali

A province of Indonesia, primarily made up of the island of Bali.

balisage

(computing) The notation that is used to indicate the meaning of the elements in an electronic document, or to dictate how text should be displayed.

balise

A signal fire to notify of the approach of an enemy, or to give any notice, commonly of warning.

baliste

(weaponry, historical) An ancient military engine, in the form of a crossbow, used for hurling large missiles.

balistique

(not comparable) Of or relating to ballistics.

baliverne

(colloquial) foolish talk; nonsense.

balivernes

(slang, US, dated) Nonsense!

balk

(sports) A deceptive motion.

balkanique

Of or relating to the Balkan Peninsula.

Balkans

A cultural region and peninsula in Southeast Europe, roughly equivalent to the area covered by Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia, sometimes including Romania, Slovenia, and European Turkey. [19th c.]