French–English dictionary

canne

(uncountable) The slender, flexible main stem of a plant such as bamboo, including many species in the grass family Gramineae

canne à pêche

A rod, often made in sections, which carries a line used for angling and is used to support both the line and the reel and to cast the line.

canne blanche

(countable) A long rod often collapsible and commonly white (for visibility to other persons), used by vision impaired persons for guidance in determining their course and for probing for obstacles in their path

canneberge

(countable) The edible red berry of that shrub.

canneler

(transitive) To cut one or more grooves in (the ground, etc.).

cannelier

Several related trees, notably the Indonesian cinnamon (Cinnamomum burmanni) and Chinese cinnamon or cassia (Cinnamomum aromaticum or Cinnamomum cassia).

cannelle

Several related trees, notably the Indonesian cinnamon (Cinnamomum burmanni) and Chinese cinnamon or cassia (Cinnamomum aromaticum or Cinnamomum cassia).

cannelure

(architectural element, firearms) A semicylindrical vertical groove, as in a pillar, in plaited cloth, or in a rifle barrel to cut down the weight.

Cannes

(historical) A village in the Apulia region of south east Italy, known as the site of a battle in 216 B.C. in which the Carthaginians under Hannibal defeated the Romans

cannette

(UK, metonymy) A glass of beer or cider, served by the pint.

cannibale

An organism which eats others of its own or similar species or kind, especially a human or other human-like creature such as a zombie who consumes human flesh.

cannibalisme

The act of eating another of one's own species.

cannolo

(mostly, in the plural) A tube of fried pastry, typical of Sicily, filled with ricotta or similar cream cheese, and flavorings, eaten as a dessert.

cannonière

(military unit) An artillery soldier who maintains and operates (historical) a cannon, or (now) some other piece of heavy artillery.

canoë

(watercraft) A small long and narrow boat, propelled by one or more people (depending on the size of canoe), using single-bladed paddles. The paddlers face in the direction of travel, in either a seated position, or kneeling on the bottom of the boat. Canoes are open on top, and pointed at both ends.

canon

A metallic tube, as of a gun, from which a projectile is discharged.

canoniser

(chiefly, Roman Catholicism) To declare (a deceased person) as a saint, and enter them into the canon of saints.

canonnier

(military unit) An artillery soldier who maintains and operates (historical) a cannon, or (now) some other piece of heavy artillery.

canonnière

(nautical) Any of the various types of small armed vessels.

canopée

The zone of the highest foliage and branches of a forest.

canot automobile

(nautical) Any vessel driven by an engine (either inboard or outboard), but especially a small one.

canot pneumatique

A flat-bottomed craft able to float and drift on water, used for transport or as a waterborne platform.

canotage

The action of the verb to row.

canoteur

(nautical) Someone who travels by boat.

canotier

(headwear) A straw hat, very stiff, with a flat brim and crown.

cantaloup

Cucumis melo Cantalupensis Group, a cultivar group melon with sweet aromatic orange flesh, including two main types:

canter

(transitive) To set (something) at an angle; to tilt.

cantine

(chiefly, US, Canada) A restaurant in which customers select their food at a counter then carry it on a tray to a table to eat.

cantique

A chant, hymn or song, especially a nonmetrical one, with words from a biblical text.

Canton

Guangzhou, the capital and largest city of Guangdong, China.

cantonais

(uncountable) A dialect of the Cantonese language, spoken in Guangzhou (Canton), Hong Kong, Macau, and treated as the standard dialect of the Cantonese language.

Cantonaise

(countable, chiefly, in the plural) An inhabitant of Canton; a person of Canton descent.

cantor

the musical director of a choir, who conducts performances and supervises rehearsal

Cantorbéry

A local government district with borough status of Kent, England, the City of Canterbury, formed in 1974, with its headquarters in the city itself.

canular

Anything deliberately intended to deceive or trick.

canule

(medicine) A tube inserted into the body to drain or inject fluid.

canyon

A valley, especially a long, narrow, steep valley, cut in rock by a river.

caoutchouc

(obsolete) Latex; natural rubber.

caoutchouteuse

Having a pliable or springy texture when chewed.

caoutchouteux

Having a pliable or springy texture when chewed.

cap

(geography) A piece or point of land, extending beyond the adjacent coast into a sea or lake; a promontory; a headland.

capable

Free from constraints preventing completion of task; permitted to; not prevented from. [First attested from around (1350 to 1470).]

capace

Having a lot of space inside; roomy.

capacité

(uncountable) The quality or state of being able; capacity to do or of doing something; having the necessary power. [First attested from around (1350 to 1470).]

capacité d'agir

The capacity, condition, or state of acting or of exerting power.

capacité électrique

(physics, uncountable) The property of an electric circuit or its element that permits it to store charge, defined as the ratio of stored charge to potential over that element or circuit (Q/V); SI unit: farad (F).

capacitif

Of or pertaining to electrostatic capacitance.

capacitisme

(uncountable) Discrimination against people with disabilities in favor of those without. [from late 20th c.]

caparaçon

The often ornamental coverings for an animal, especially a horse or an elephant.

Capella

(star) A bright double star in the constellation Auriga; Alpha (α) Aurigae.

capharnaüm

(countable) A great mess or clutter.

capitaine

A commissioned officer in the United States Navy, Coast Guard, NOAA Corps, or PHS Corps of a grade superior to a commander and junior to a rear admiral (lower half). A captain is equal in grade or rank to a United States Army, Marine Corps, or Air Force colonel.

capitaine de frégate

A naval officer whose rank is above that of a lieutenant commander and below that of captain.

capitaine de vaisseau

A commissioned officer in the United States Navy, Coast Guard, NOAA Corps, or PHS Corps of a grade superior to a commander and junior to a rear admiral (lower half). A captain is equal in grade or rank to a United States Army, Marine Corps, or Air Force colonel.

capital

The monetary assets of a person or organization.

capital humain

(economics) The stock of competencies, knowledge, habits, social and personality attributes, including creativity, cognitive abilities, embodied in the ability to perform labor so as to produce economic value.

capitalisme

(politics, economic liberalism) A socio-economic system based on private property rights, including the private ownership of resources or capital, with economic decisions made largely through the operation of a market unregulated by the state.

capitaliste

Supporting or endorsing capitalism.

capitaux propres

(accounting) Ownership interest in a company as determined by subtracting liabilities from assets.

Capitole

The building in Washington, D.C., in which both houses of the Congress of the United States meet.

Capitole des [[États-Unis]]

The building in Washington, D.C., in which both houses of the Congress of the United States meet.

capitonner

To crumple or crush into a compact, amorphous shape or ball.

capitulation

The act of capitulating or surrendering to an enemy upon stipulated terms; the act of ceasing to resist an opponent or an unwelcome demand.

capitule

(botany) A compact cluster of florets having the appearance of a single flower (as in the daisy family).

capituler

(intransitive, originally only in military setting) To surrender on stipulated terms, end all resistance, give up, go along with or comply. [from the end of the 17th c.]

capon

A strong tackle used to hoist an anchor to the cathead of a ship.

caponner

(nautical, transitive) To hoist (an anchor) by its ring so that it hangs at the cathead.

caporal

(military) A non-commissioned officer army rank with NATO code OR-4. The rank below a sergeant but above a lance corporal and private.

capot

(Australia, British, NZ, South Africa, Commonwealth, automotive) The hinged cover over the engine of a motor car, also known as a hood in chiefly Canada and the US.

capote

(slang) A condom.

capoter

(ambitransitive) To turn over, capsize or upset.

cappuccino

(uncountable) An Italian coffee-based beverage made from espresso to which milk that has been steamed and/or frothed is added; (countable) a cup of this beverage.

câpre

The pungent grayish green flower bud of the European and Oriental caper (Capparis spinosa), which is pickled and eaten.

capriccio

(music) A piece of music, usually fairly free in form and of a lively character.

caprice

An impulsive, seemingly unmotivated action, change of mind, or notion.

capricieux

Impulsive and unpredictable; determined by chance, impulse, or whim.

Capricorne

(astrology) The zodiac sign for the goat, ruled by Saturn and covering December 22 – January 20 (tropical astrology) or January 15 – February 14 (sidereal astrology).

capsule

Any of several designs of closure used to seal bottles.

capsule fulminante

A device used to detonate an explosive device etc.

CAPTCHA

(computing, Internet) A computerized test requiring the human user to perform a task deemed to be difficult to automate, such as entering a displayed series of distorted characters or describing images, to demonstrate that they are a human and not a computer program.

capter

(transitive) To completely engage the attention of; to involve.

capteur

A device or organ that detects certain external stimuli and responds in a distinctive manner.

captif

Held prisoner; not free; confined.

captivant

Very beautiful or attractive.

captivé

Fully occupied with one's thoughts; engrossed. [First attested in the mid 18th century.]

captiver

(figuratively) To attract and hold (someone's) attention and interest; to charm, to entrance, to fascinate, to enchain.

captivité

The state of being captive.

capture

The securing of an object of strife or desire, as by the power of some attraction.

capturer

(transitive) To take control of; to seize by force or stratagem.

capturer de nouveau

To capture something for a second or subsequent time, especially after a loss.

capturer encore

To capture something for a second or subsequent time, especially after a loss.

capuche

A covering for the head, usually attached to a larger garment such as a jacket or cloak.

capuchon

A protective cover or seal.

caquet

The cry of a hen or goose, especially when laying an egg.

caqueter

(intransitive) To talk too much; to chatter; to prattle.

car

Considered to be, in relation to something else; in the relation (specified).

carabine

A rifle with a short barrel.

carabistouilles

Senseless talk or writing; nonsense.

Caracas

The capital city of Venezuela.

caractère

(countable) A being involved in the action of a story; a persona.

caractère arbitraire

The quality or state of being arbitrary; the extent to which something is arbitrary.

caractériser

(transitive) To depict someone or something a particular way (often negative).

caractéristique

Being a distinguishing feature of a person or thing.

carafe

A bottle, usually glass and with a flared lip, used for serving water, wine, or other beverages.

carafon

A bottle, usually glass and with a flared lip, used for serving water, wine, or other beverages.

caraïbe

Pertaining to the sea and region of the western Atlantic bounded by South America, Central America, and the islands of the West Indies (such as Cuba and Hispaniola).

Caraïbes

A continental region centered on the Caribbean Sea, consisting of those countries located in the sea and in bordering areas of South America and Central America.

carambole

A shot in billiards or snooker in which the cue ball strikes two other balls; a carom.

caramel

A sauce or syrup made of similar ingredients.

caramel au beurre

A hard candy made from butter, brown sugar, syrup and vanilla.

caramel mou

(US) A soft, chewy candy made from boiled sugar, molasses, or corn syrup and butter.

caramels mous

(US) A soft, chewy candy made from boiled sugar, molasses, or corn syrup and butter.

carapace

A hard protective covering of bone or chitin, especially one which covers the dorsal portion of an animal.

Caraque

The capital city of Venezuela.

carassin doré

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

Caravage

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1571–1610), an Italian painter known for the dramatism of his style and subjects.

caravane

A convoy or procession of travellers, their cargo and vehicles, and any pack animals, especially camels crossing a desert.

carbonade

a stew of meat cooked in beer

carbonado

(mineral) A dark, non-transparent, impure form of polycrystalline diamond (also containing graphite and amorphous carbon) used in drilling.

carbonate

Any salt or ester of carbonic acid.

carbonate de soude

(uncountable) Carbonated water (water impregnated with pressurised carbon dioxide, originally made with sodium bicarbonate).

carbone

A fossil fuel that is made of impure carbon such as coal or charcoal.

carbonifère

(geology) Of a geologic period within the Paleozoic era; comprises the lower, middle and upper Mississippian and lower, middle and upper Pennsylvanian epochs from about 345 to 280 million years ago, when coal was laid down.

carboniser

(transitive) To cause (a structure) to burn to nothing.

carbonnade

(cooking, dated) Meat or fish that has been scored and broiled.

carboucle

(archaic) A deep-red or fiery colored garnet or other dark red precious stone, especially when cut cabochon.

carburant

Substance consumed to provide energy through combustion, or through chemical or nuclear reaction.

carburateur

(US, Canada) A device in an internal combustion engine where fuel is vaporized and mixed with air prior to ignition. [from 1890s]

carbure

(chemistry) Any binary compound of carbon and a more electropositive element

carcajou

A solitary, fierce mammal of the Mustelidae family, Gulo gulo.

carcasse

The body of a dead animal, especially a vertebrate or other animal having flesh.

carde

(textiles) A hand-held tool formed similarly to a hairbrush but with bristles of wire or other rigid material. It is used principally with raw cotton, wool, hair, or other natural fibers to prepare these materials for spinning into yarn or thread on a spinning wheel, with a whorl or other hand-held spindle. The card serves to untangle, clean, remove debris from, and lay the fibers straight.

carder

(textiles) To use a carding device to disentangle the fibres of wool prior to spinning.

Cardiff

A city and county, the capital and largest city of Wales.

cardigan

A type of sweater or jumper that fastens up the front with buttons or a zipper, usually machine- or hand-knitted from wool.

cardine franche

A flatfish of the genus Lepidorhombus native to the northeastern Atlantic Ocean; specifically, a Cornish sole, sail-fluke, witch or whiff (Lepidorhombus whiffiagonis).

cardiologie

(medicine) The study of the structure, function, and disorders of the heart.

cardiologue

A physician who specializes in medical problems related to the heart.

cardiomyopathie

(pathology) The deterioration of the myocardium.

cardiovasculaire

Relating to the circulatory system, that is the heart and blood vessels.

cardon

Any of species Cynara cardunculus of prickly perennial plants which has leaf stalks eaten as a vegetable, related to the artichoke.

carême

(Christianity) A period of the ecclesiastical year preceding Easter, traditionally involving temporary abstention from certain foods and pleasures.

carénage

A covering on various parts of a vehicle, for example an aircraft, automobile, or motorcycle, that streamlines it (i.e., produces a smooth exterior and reduces drag). [from 20th c.]

carence

(countable) An insufficiency, especially of something essential to health.

carencro

Any of several Old World birds of prey of the genus Buteo with broad wings and a broad tail.

Carène

(constellation) A summer constellation of the southern sky, said to resemble the keel of a ship. It contains the star Canopus, the second brightest star in the night sky. Until 1763, it was part of a larger constellation, Argo Navis.

caréner

(nautical, transitive) To heave a ship down on one side so as to expose the other, in order to clean it of barnacles and weed, or to repair it below the water line.

caresse

An act of moving one's hand or an object along a surface in one direction, touching it lightly; a caress.

caresser

(transitive) To touch or kiss lovingly; to fondle.

cargaison

Freight carried by a ship, aircraft, or motor vehicle.