French–English dictionary

havre

(countable) Any place of shelter.

havre de paix

(figurative) A second home, etc., where one can seek an escape or refuge from the stresses of everyday life.

Hawaï

(specifically) An island of Hawaii archipelago, Pacific Ocean, of Hawaii County, State of Hawaii, United States. The largest of the Hawaiian Islands.

Hawaïen

(countable, nonstandard, proscribed) A native or resident of the state of Hawaii in the United States of America.

Hawaïenne

(countable, nonstandard, proscribed) A native or resident of the state of Hawaii in the United States of America.

Hawaii

(specifically) An island of Hawaii archipelago, Pacific Ocean, of Hawaii County, State of Hawaii, United States. The largest of the Hawaiian Islands.

Hawaiien

(countable, nonstandard, proscribed) A native or resident of the state of Hawaii in the United States of America.

Hawaiienne

(countable, nonstandard, proscribed) A native or resident of the state of Hawaii in the United States of America.

hayon

A car with a sloping, hinged rear door that opens upwards.

hè

The name of the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets (Phoenician, Aramaic, Hebrew, Syriac, Arabic and others).

header

(computing) The first part of a file or record that describes its contents.

heaume

(headwear) A hard, protective head covering, typically part of armour.

hebdo

A publication that is published once a week.

hebdomadaire

A publication that is published once a week.

hebdomadairement

Once every week.

hebdomadier

(Roman Catholicism) A member of a chapter or convent whose week it is to officiate in the choir and perform other services, which, on extraordinary occasions, are performed by the superiors.

hébergement

(computing) Running and maintaining a computer system on someone's behalf.

héberger

(transitive) To cause to come to agreement; to bring about harmony; to reconcile.

hébéter

(transitive, especially, law) To dull the senses or capacity to think thereby reducing responsiveness; to stun.

hébétude

Mental lethargy or dullness.

hébraïque

Of or pertaining to the Hebrew people or language.

hébreu

Of or pertaining to the Hebrew people or language.

Hébreux

(biblical) The nineteenth book of the New Testament of the Bible, the epistle to the Hebrews.

Hébrides

The islands off the west coast of Scotland, divided into the Inner Hebrides and the Outer Hebrides.

Hécate

(Greek mythology) A powerful goddess of magic, crossroads, fire, light, the moon, and the underworld. Her Roman counterpart is Trivia.

hécatombe

(Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, historical) A great public sacrifice to the gods, originally of a hundred oxen; also, a great number of animals reserved for such a sacrifice.

hectique

(obsolete) Denoting a type of fever accompanying consumption and similar wasting diseases, characterised by flushed cheeks and dry skin.

hédonisme

(ethics, uncountable) The philosophical belief that happiness, particularly sensual pleasure, is the highest good in life.

hédoniste

Someone devoted to hedonism.

Hegel

A surname from German, notably borne by the German philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel.

hégémonie

(formal) Domination, influence, or authority over another, especially by one political group over a society or by one nation over others.

hégoumène

(Christianity) The head of a monastery of the Eastern Orthodox Church or Eastern Catholic Churches.

héhé

An approximation to the sound of a mischievous giggle.

Heidelberg

A city and urban district of Baden-Württemberg, Germany; the administrative seat of Rhein-Neckar-Kreis district, Baden-Württemberg.

hein

(idiomatic, informal, by ellipsis) A polite formula used when one has not heard or understood what has been said, or to indicate surprise.

Hel

(religion, Norse mythology) The goddess of the realm of the unheroic dead, a daughter of Loki by the jotun Angrboða.

hélas

An expression of sorrow or mourning.

héler

(transitive) To call out loudly in order to gain the attention of.

Helga

A en given name occasionally borrowed from Scandinavia.

hélice

A paddlewheel.

hélico

(informal) A helicopter.

hélicoptère

(aircraft) An aircraft that is borne along by one or more sets of long rotating blades which allow it to hover, move in any direction including reverse, or land; and typically having a smaller set of blades on its tail to stabilize the aircraft.

héliogaine

(astronomy) A zone between the termination shock and the heliopause, in the heliosphere, at the outer border of the Solar System, where the solar wind is dramatically slower than within the termination shock.

Hélios

(Greek god) The god of the Sun; son of Hyperion and Theia, brother of Selene and Eos, father of Phaeton amongst others. His Roman counterpart is Sol.

héliport

(aviation) A small landing place for helicopters, denoted by a large "H".

héliporter

(transitive) To transport by helicopter.

hélistation

(aviation) A small landing place for helicopters, denoted by a large "H".

hélisurface

(aviation) A small landing place for helicopters, denoted by a large "H".

hélium

(uncountable) The second-lightest chemical element (symbol He), with an atomic number of 2 and atomic weight of 4.002602, a colorless, odorless and inert noble gas.

Hellade

Greece; (specifically) Ancient Greece.

hellène

Of or relating to the ancient Greek culture and civilization before the Hellenistic period.

hellénique

Of or relating to the ancient Greek culture and civilization before the Hellenistic period.

heller

(historical) A German coin equivalent to half a pfennig, later used widely as a small coin in Central Europe and the German Empire.

Helsingfors

The capital city of Finland; a municipality, the capital of the region of Uusimaa, Finland.

Helsinki

The capital city of Finland; a municipality, the capital of the region of Uusimaa, Finland.

helvétique

Of, from, or pertaining to Switzerland or the Swiss people.

hématome

(pathology) A swelling of blood, usually clotted, which forms as a result of broken blood vessels.

hémione

The Asiatic wild ass or hemione (Equus hemionus), an animal of the horse family native to Asia; specifically, the Persian onager, Persian wild ass, or Persian zebra (Equus hemionus onager).

hémoglobine

(American spelling) The iron-containing substance in red blood cells that transports oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body; it consists of a protein (globulin), and haem (a porphyrin ring with an atom of iron at its centre).

hémorragie

The flow or loss of blood from a damaged blood vessel.

hémorroïde

(pathology, often, in the plural) An engorged, dilated and easily broken varicosity in the perianal area, often accompanied by intense itching and throbbing pain: piles.

hénissement

A gentle neighing.

hennissement

The cry of a horse.

Hénoch

(biblical character) First son of Cain.

Henri

A en given name, popular in England since the Middle Ages.

henry

In the International System of Units, the derived unit of electrical inductance; the inductance induced in a circuit by a rate of change of current of one ampere per second and a resulting electromotive force of one volt. Symbol: H

hentai

(Japanese pornography) A work of anime or manga (or any similar medium) that contains heavily sexual or pornographic art.

héparine

(carbohydrate, pharmaceutical drug) A compound occurring in the liver and other tissues which inhibits blood coagulation. A sulfur-containing polysaccharide, it is used as an anticoagulant in the treatment of thrombosis.

hépatectomie

(surgery) The surgical removal of all or part of the liver.

hépatique

Of or relating to the liver.

hépatite

Inflammation of the liver, sometimes caused by a viral infection.

Héphaïstos

(Greek god) The god of fire, smithwork, metallurgy, volcanoes, and artisans, who served as blacksmith of the gods. His Roman counterpart is Vulcan.

heptathlon

(athletics) An athletic contest comprising seven events; contested mostly by women, for whom this is an Olympic sport.

Héra

(Greek god) The queen of the gods, and goddess of marriage and birth; daughter of Cronus and Rhea, sister and wife of Zeus, mother of Hephaestus, Ares, Hebe, and Enyo.

héraldesse

A messenger, especially one bringing important news.

Hérault

A en given name.

héraut

A messenger, especially one bringing important news.

herbacée

(botany) An organism that is not an animal, especially an organism capable of photosynthesis. Typically a small or herbaceous organism of this kind, rather than a tree.

herbaliste

A person who treats diseases by means of medicinal herbs.

herbe

(countable, uncountable) Any plant of the family Poaceae, characterized by leaves that arise from nodes in the stem and leaf bases that wrap around the stem, especially those grown as ground cover rather than for grain.

herbe à chat

Nepeta cataria and Nepeta grandiflora (and perhaps other species), which are well-known for causing an apparently harmless pheromone-based intoxication among certain cats.

herbe à poux

A plant of the genus Ambrosia. These weeds are particularly noted for producing pollen that triggers hay fever.

herbe aromatique

(countable) Any green, leafy plant, or parts thereof, used to flavour or season food.

herbe aux chantres

Any of several short-lived herbs or shrubs of the Erysimum genus with bright yellow to red flowers.

herbe médicinale

(countable) A plant whose roots, leaves or seeds, etc. are used in medicine.

herbeux

Covered with grass.

herbivore

An organism that feeds chiefly on plants; an animal that feeds on herbage or vegetation as the main part of its diet.

herboriste

A person who treats diseases by means of medicinal herbs.

hérédité

Hereditary transmission of the physical and genetic qualities of parents to their offspring; the biological law by which living beings tend to repeat their characteristics in their descendants.

hérésiarque

(religion) The founder of a heresy, or a major ecclesiastical proponent of such a heresy. [from mid 16th c.]

hérétique

Someone whose beliefs are contrary to the fundamental tenets of a religion they claim to belong to.

hérissonneau

A baby hedgehog.

héritable

That can legally be inherited.

héritage

A person's inheritance; an amount of property given by will.

héritier

A person expected to inherit or take over an enterprise or undertaking once its current manager retires or dies.

héritier d'un trône

The heir to a throne.

héritière

Someone who inherits, or is designated to inherit, the property of another.

hermaphrodite

Possessing qualities of both sexes.

Hermès

(Greek god) The herald and messenger of the gods, and the god of roads, commerce, invention, cunning, and theft.

hermétique

Impermeable to air or other gases.

Hermione

(Greek mythology) Daughter of Helen and Menelaus, wife of Orestes.

hernie

(diseases) A disorder in which a part of the body protrudes abnormally through a tear or opening in an adjacent part, especially of the abdomen.

Hérode

The name of any of a number of members of the Herodian dynasty who ruled in the Roman province of Judea, most notably Herod the Great, who ordered the Massacre of the Innocents, or Herod Antipas, his son, who met Jesus during his Passion.

héroïne

(informal, intransitive) To act as a hero (brave person; role model; or protagonist).

héroïque

Of or relating to a hero or heroine; supremely noble.

héroïsme

The qualities characteristic of a hero, such as courage, bravery, fortitude, selflessness, etc.; the display of such qualities.

héron

Any long-legged, long-necked wading bird of the family Ardeidae.

héros

(professional wrestling, slang) A headlining wrestler with a persona embodying heroic or virtuous traits and who is regarded as a "good guy", especially one who is handsome and well-conditioned.

herpès

(medicine) A viral infection, caused by Human alphaherpesvirus 1 and Human alphaherpesvirus 2, marked by painful, watery blisters in the skin or in the mucous membranes or on the genitals.

herpétologie

The branch of biology dealing with reptiles (Reptilia) and amphibians (Amphibia).

herse

A device consisting of a heavy framework having several disks or teeth in a row, which is dragged across ploughed land to smooth or break up the soil, to remove weeds or cover seeds; a harrow plow.

herser

(transitive) To drag a harrow over; to break up with a harrow.

Hertz

A surname from German.

hésitant

Tending to hesitate, wait, or proceed with caution or reservation.

hésitation

An act of hesitating

hésiter

(idiomatic) To change one's opinion, or be uneasy about a previous decision.

hespéridé

Any of various butterflies of the families Hesperiidae and its subfamily Megathyminae, having a hairy mothlike body, hooked tips on the antennae, and a darting flight pattern.

Hesse

A state of modern Germany.

Hessois

A native or inhabitant of the state of Hesse, Germany.

Hestia

(Greek god) The virgin goddess of the hearth, and the household, and therefore of domestic life.

hêta

The Ancient Greek letter eta, or variants of it, when used in their original function of denoting the consonant /h/.

hétéro

(LGBT slang, derogatory) A heterosexual person; one whose sexual intercourse can lead to breeding.

hétéro-

Other, by another.

hétéroclite

Unrelated and unspecialized; heterogeneous.

hétérodoxe

Of or pertaining to creeds, beliefs, or teachings, especially religious ones, that are different from what a religion (or sect) believes to be orthodox, but (usually) not conflicting with that religion's established beliefs and therefore not heretical.

hétérogène

Unrelated and unspecialized; heterogeneous.

hétérogénéité

(countable) A composition of diverse parts.

hétérophobie

Fear or resentment of heterosexuals or heterosexuality.

hétérosexisme

Discrimination or prejudice in favor of heterosexuals.

hétérosexuel

(of a person or other animal) Sexually attracted to members of the opposite sex.

hétérozygote

(genetics) A diploid individual that has different alleles at one or more genetic loci.

hêtre

A tree of the genus Fagus having a smooth, light grey trunk, oval, pointed leaves, and many branches.

heu

(nautical) A small coaster vessel, usually sloop-rigged, used in conveying passengers and goods, or as a tender to larger vessels in port.

heur

(uncountable) A person's lot (good or bad), luck, fortune, fate.

heure

(time) A unit of time of one twenty-fourth of a day (sixty minutes).

heure bleue

The period of twilight when the Sun is approximately 4-8° below the horizon and the sky is within a range of blue colors.

heure du coucher

The time or hour at which one retires to bed in order to sleep.

heure du jour

(countable) A measurement of a quantity of time; a numerical or general indication of a length of progression.

heure du thé

(chiefly, British) The traditional time, in the late afternoon, for serving tea (the meal).

heures

(Christianity, in the plural) The set times of prayer, the canonical hours, the offices or services prescribed for these, or a book containing them.

heures supplémentaires

(uncountable) Working time outside of one's regular hours.

heureuse

Having a feeling arising from a consciousness of well-being or of enjoyment; enjoying good of any kind, such as comfort, peace, or tranquillity; blissful, contented, joyous.

heureusement

(sometimes, proscribed) In a fortuitous manner; in a manner of happening by a lucky chance; luckily; fortunately.

heureux

In good spirits; happy, optimistic.

heureux hazard

An unsought, unintended, and/or unexpected, but fortunate, discovery and/or learning experience that happens by accident.

heuristique

A heuristic method. [from 1860]

heurt

(informal, countable) Any minor collision or blow.

heurte

(heraldiccharge) A roundel azure (blue circular spot).

heurter

(informal) To strike or collide with something.

heurtoir

Any mechanical device used to absorb an impact, soften a collision, or protect against impact.