French–English dictionary

continent

Each of the traditional main regions into which the Earth’s land surface is divided, including both an extent of mainland and various conventionally associated islands, etc; namely, Africa, Europe, Asia, Australasia/Oceania, North America, South America, and Antarctica.

contingence

(uncountable) The quality of being contingent, of happening by chance. [from 1560s]

contingent

Possible or liable, but not certain, to occur.

continu

Connecting without a break.

continuateur

(linguistics) The descendant of an earlier language element, such as a word or phoneme, in a daughter language.

continuation

(uncountable) The action of continuing.

continuel

Continuing or persisting in the same state: lasting, enduring; steadfast. [First attested around 1350 to 1470.]

continuellement

Without pause.

continuer

(idiomatic, transitive, intransitive) To take baggage or luggage onto an airplane, rather than check it.

contorsion

A form of acrobatic display which involves the dramatic bending and flexing of the human body.

contorsionniste

An acrobat who is capable of twisting their body into unusual positions.

contour

An outline, boundary or border, usually of curved shape.

contournement

A replacement road for obsolete road that is no longer in use because devastating natural disasters (earthquakes, tsunamis, landslides).

contourner

To avoid an obstacle etc, by constructing or using a bypass.

contraceptif

That acts to prevent conception as a result of sexual intercourse.

contraception

The use of a device or procedure to prevent conception as a result of sexual activity.

contractant

A person hired to do a job on a business contract, as opposed to a permanent employee.

contracté

Tight because of or like suffering a cramp.

contracter

To contract or get (an illness); to show symptoms of.

contractuel

Of, relating to, or enforced by a contract.

contradicteur

A person who likes or tends to express a contradicting viewpoint, especially from one held by a majority of people, usually because of nonconformity or spite. [from mid 20th c.]

contradiction

Verbal impudence or argumentative discourse, given in response.

contraignant

(of an agreement, contract, etc.) Imposing stipulations or requirements that must be honoured.

contraindre

(transitive) To force, constrain, or coerce.

contrainte

Compulsion; mania.

contraire

(archaic, of persons) Tending to counter, oppose, resist, argue.

contrairement

In a contrary manner; in opposite ways or directions.

contrairement à

In contrast with; as opposed to.

contralto

(music) The lowest female voice or voice part, falling between tenor and mezzo-soprano. The terms contralto and alto refer to the same musical pitch range, but among singers, the term contralto is reserved for female singers; the equivalent male form is counter-tenor. Originally the contratenor altus was a high countermelody sung against the tenor or main melody.

contrarié

Troubled, irritated by something unwanted or unliked (an annoyance); vexed.

contrarier

(transitive) To work against; to oppose (especially to incite a reaction).

contrariété

(uncountable) The state of being vexed, annoyed, or irritated; annoyance, irritation; also, disappointment, discontentment, unhappiness; (countable) an instance of this.

contrat

(uncountable, legal) A legally binding contract enforceable in a court of law.

contrat de bail

(formal, law) An interest in land granting exclusive use or occupation of real estate for a limited period; a leasehold.

contrat de prêt

The contract and array of legal or ethical obligations surrounding a loan.

contravention

A citation for a traffic violation.

contre

As protection from.

contre nature

Not natural.

contre toute attente

(idiomatic) Despite seemingly insurmountable opposition or probability.

contre-

In opposition to.

contre-attaquer

(transitive, with for) To (attempt to) disengage and flee to; to make a run for.

contre-balancer

(transitive, figuratively) To match or equal in effect when applying opposing force.

contre-courant

A current that flows against the prevailing one.

contre-maître

(UK, informal) The leader of a group or team, such as a boss, foreman, coach, or publican.

contre-marche

(carpentry) A vertical part of a step on a staircase.

contre-mesure

Any action taken to counteract or correct another.

contre-oblique

The punctuation mark \.

contre-partie

Either of two parts that fit together, or complement one another.

contre-productif

More of a hindrance than a help.

contre-ténor

An adult male singer who uses head tone or falsetto to sing far higher than the typical male vocal range.

contre-torpilleur

(science fiction, by extension) A starship of comparable role.

contre-utopie

A miserable, dysfunctional state or society that has a very poor standard of living or severe censorship, oppression, etc.

contre-utopique

Of or pertaining to a dystopia.

contre-utopiste

Of or pertaining to a dystopia.

contrebalancer

(transitive) To apply weight in order to balance an opposing weight.

contrebande

(uncountable) Goods which are prohibited from being traded, smuggled goods.

contrebander

(transitive, intransitive) To import or export, illicitly or by stealth, without paying lawful customs charges or duties

contrebandier

One who smuggles things.

contrebandière

One who smuggles things.

contrecarrer

(transitive) To contradict (another) or frustrate the plans of.

contrecoup

That which happens after, that which follows, usually of strongly negative connotation in most contexts, implying a preceding catastrophe.

contrecoup subi

(idiomatic, transitive) To fail in a manner that brings down further misfortune.

contredire

(transitive) To respond to in an aggressively disputatious, often sarcastic or insolent manner.

contrée

A country or region.

contrée sauvage

(uncountable) Uncultivated and unsettled land in its natural state inhabited by wild animals and with vegetation growing wild; (countable) a tract of such land; a waste or wild.

contrefacteur

A person who counterfeits.

contrefactuel

Contrary to known or agreed facts; untrue.

contrefaire

(transitive) To falsely produce what appears to be official or valid; to produce a forged copy of.

contrefait

Not real; false, fraudulent.

contrefort

(architecture) A brick, concrete or stone structure built against another structure to support it.

contremaître

(management) The leader of a work crew.

contremaître de jury

(Christianity) A senior record keeper of a cathedral; a senior legal officer for a bishop or diocese in charge of hearing cases involving ecclesiastical law.

contremarche

(carpentry) A vertical part of a step on a staircase.

contrepartie

(real estate) An equivalent stipulated for in contracts for the sale of real estate, in which it is customary to provide that errors in description, etc., shall not avoid, but shall be the subject of compensation.

contrepied

The opposite.

contreplaqué

(countable) A specific grade or type of this construction material.

contrepoids

(literally, or, figuratively) Something of equal weight used to provide equilibrium; counterweight.

contrepoint

(music) A melody added to an existing one, especially one added to provide harmony whilst each retains its simultaneous identity; a composition consisting of such contrapuntal melodies.

contrepoison

A remedy to counteract the effects of poison.

contreproductif

More of a hindrance than a help.

contresigner

(transitive, by extension) To add a second signature to a document, affirming the validity of the signature of another person.

contretemps

An unforeseen, inopportune, or embarrassing event.

contreténor

An adult male singer who uses head tone or falsetto to sing far higher than the typical male vocal range.

contrevenant

A person who commits an offense against the law, a lawbreaker.

contrevent

(usually, in the plural) Protective panels, usually wooden, placed over windows to block out the light.

contrevérité

(countable) A false statement, especially an intentional one; a lie.

contribuable

A person who is subject to, liable for, or pays tax.

contribuer

(ambitransitive) To give something that is or becomes part of a larger whole.

contributeur

A benefactor; someone who donates to charity or some cause.

contribution

Something given or offered that adds to a larger whole.

contribution financière

An amount of money given toward something.

contrit

Sincerely penitent or feeling regret or sorrow, especially for one’s own actions.

contrition

The state of being contrite; sincere penitence or remorse.

contrôlable

Able to be controlled; subject to regulation or command.

contrôle

An inspection or examination.

contrôler

(transitive, US) To check IDs, especially against a minimum age requirement.

contrôleur

One who assesses a property for tax or insurance evaluation.

contrôleure

One who assesses a property for tax or insurance evaluation.

contrôleuse

One who assesses a property for tax or insurance evaluation.

contrordre

An order to the contrary of a previous one.

controuver

(transitive) To invent and form; to forge; to devise falsely.

controversé

Marked by heated arguments or controversy.

contumace

Contemptuous of authority; willfully disobedient; rebellious.

contusion

A purplish mark on the skin due to leakage of blood from capillaries under the surface that have been damaged by a blow.

contusionner

(transitive) To strike (a person), originally with something flat or heavy, but now specifically in such a way as to discolour the skin without breaking it; to contuse.

conurbation

A continuous aggregation of built-up urban communities created as a result of urban sprawl.

convaincant

Reasonable and convincing; based on evidence.

convaincre

To make someone believe, or feel sure about something, especially by using logic, argument or evidence.

convaincu

In a state of believing, especially from evidence but not necessarily.

convection

(physics) The transmission of heat in a fluid by the circulation of currents.

convenable

(now, rare) Of life or living, endowed with conveniences; comfortable; free from hardship. [from 16th c.]

convenablement

Satisfactorily, sufficiently well.

convenance

The quality of being convenient.

convenances

(often, in the plural) Correctness in behaviour and morals; good manners, seemliness. [from 18th c.]

convénient

Serving to reduce a difficulty, or accessible with minimum difficulty; expedient.

convenir

(intransitive) To make a stipulation by way of settling differences or determining a price; to exchange promises; to come to terms or to a common resolve; to promise.

conventicule

A secret, unauthorized or illegal religious meeting.

convention

A pact or binding agreement between two or more parties.

conventionnalisme

(uncountable) Adherence to social conventions; conventional behavior.

conventionnel

Used or accepted broadly rather than by small portions of population, market, scientific community, etc.

conventionnellement

Ordinarily, by convention.

convergence

A convergence or combination of forces, people, or things.

conversation

A conversation or dialogue. [from 15th c.]

conversationnel

Of, relating to, or in the style of a conversation; informal and chatty.

converser

To talk more than a few words.

conversion

A conversion or transition from one thing to another.

convertible

Able to be converted, particularly:

convertisseur

A person or thing that converts.

convexe

Curved or bowed outward like the outside of a bowl, circle, or sphere.

conviction

(uncountable) The quality or state of believing.

convier

(transitive) To ask for the presence or participation of someone or something.

convivialité

The degree to which an object, device, software application, etc. is easy to use with no specific training.

convocation

A call to do something, especially to come.

convoité

Highly sought-after.

convoiter

(transitive) To wish for with eagerness; to desire possession of, often enviously.

convoitise

Immoderate desire for the possession of something, especially for wealth.

convoluté

(chiefly, anatomy, zoology) Having numerous overlapping coils or folds; convolute.

convolution

A twist; a convolution.

convoquer

(transitive, idiomatic) To order into service; to summon into service.

convoyer

(transitive) To escort a group of vehicles, and provide protection.

convulser

(intransitive) To suffer violent involuntary contractions of the muscles, causing one's body to contort.

convulsion

(medicine) An intense, paroxysmal, involuntary muscular contraction.

convulsionner

(intransitive) To spasm or shake violently.

cookie

(Internet) A packet of information sent by a server to a World Wide Web browser and then returned by the browser each time it accesses that server, used to maintain state between otherwise stateless HTTP transactions, for example, to identify the user.

cool

(informal, of a person) Knowing what to do and how to behave; behaving with effortless and enviable style and panache; considered popular by others.

coolie

An unskilled Asian worker, usually of Chinese or Indian descent; a labourer; a porter. Coolies were frequently transported to other countries in the 19th and early 20th centuries as indentured labourers.

coopérateur

One who cooperates; an associate.

coopératif

Ready to work with another person or in a team; ready to cooperate.

coopération

(usually, uncountable) The act of cooperating.

coopérative

Association for mutual benefit, such as for purposes of production or purchase.