List of French words of Germanic origin (A-B)

This list of French words of Germanic origin is a dictionary of standard modern French words and phrases deriving from any Germanic language of any period, whether incorporated in the formation of the French language or borrowed at any time thereafter.

Scope of the dictionary The following list details words, affixes and phrases that contain Germanic etymons. Words where only an affix is Germanic (e.g. méfait, bouillard, carnavalesque) are excluded, as are words borrowed from a Germanic language where the origin is other than Germanic (for instance, cabaret is from Dutch, but the Dutch word is ultimately from Latin/Greek, so it is omitted). Likewise, words which have been calqued from a Germanic tongue (e.g. pardonner, bienvenue, entreprendre, toujours, compagnon, plupart, manuscrit, manoeuvre), or which received their usage or sense (i.e. were created, modified or influenced) due to Germanic speakers or Germanic linguistic habits (e.g. comté, avec, commun, on, panne, avoir, ça) are not included.

Many other Germanic words found in older versions of French, such as Old French and Anglo-French are no longer extant in Standard Modern French. Many of these words do, however, continue to survive dialectally and in English. See: List of English Latinates of Germanic origin.

Dictionary

A UtteranceTranslationGermanicElementEtymologyPeriodReferencesà la bonne franquetteinformallyfranquetteNormanno-Picard, from franc, a Germanic word known in French from the 11th century, the same as English frank17th centuryCNRTL à la bonne franquette,CNRTL franc3 aalénien (Geol.) abandon "abandonment" (< OFr à bandon < ML *bandum < Frk *ban < Gmc *ban-, band-) abandonner abandonnement abandonnataire abandonné abandonnée abandonnément abandonneur abandonneuse abâtardir "to abase" (< Fr à bâtard < ML bastardus, OFr bastard < Gmc *bāst-, bōst- + Gmc *-hard-) abâtardissement abâtardi abigotir abord "approach" (< Fr à bord < OFr bord, bort < Frk *bord < Gmc *borþam) aborder abordage abordable abordé abordée abordeur abot aboter (also abotter) aboté aboteau abotter abotté abouter "(trade term) to join the ends of something" ( < à + OFr boter < Frk *bautan, bōtan (cf Frk *but "end", ON bútr) < Gmc) about abouté aboutage aboutement aboutir "to arrive at, end in" ( < à + OFr boter < Frk *bautan, bōtan (cf Frk *but "end", ON bútr) < Gmc) abouti aboutissant aboutissement aboutonner abraquer (Naut.) "to direct" ( < à + braquer "to direct, point" < ON brāka "to fix, set on, weaken" < Gmc) abri "shelter" ( < OFr abrier "to cover" < LL abrigare < a- + brigare "to cover" < Frk *berihan "to cover" and Frk *berc, geberc "asylum, protection" < Gmc, cf OHG birihan "to cover", OE (be)wrēon "to cover", OHG bergan "to cover, hide") abri-fou (also abrifou) abri-galant abri-sous-roche abri-vent (also abrivent) abrier (possibly, or from Latin "Apricus") abrier (also abreyer) "to protect, guarantee" abriter abriter "to shelter" abrité abritant abritement abroutir "to crop" abrouti abroutis abuter accon (also acon) "barge" acconnage (also aconnage) acconnier accore (Naut.) "piece of wood serving as a ship's stay" accorer accrocher "to hook, hook up, tear with a hook" ( < à + Fr croc < ON krókr, kráka "hook" < Gmc) accroc accroche accrochable accrochage accroche-cœur accroche-lumière accroche-plat accroche-tubes accrocheur accrocheuse accroupir "to cower down, squat" ( < à + Fr croupe "rump" < OFr crope < ON kroppr, kryppa < Gmc) achôcre (Dial) "awkward; good for nothing" ( < Norm "brutal, rough" < ON skakr "a scolding" < Gmc) achopper "to stumble" ( < à + Fr chopper < OFr choper < Gmc, cf Germ schupfen) achoppement acre "acre" ( < L *acrum < Gmc, cf Goth akr, OE æcer, Eng acre, Germ Acker) adouber "to arm, strike" ( < Fr à + douber < OFr duber & dober < Gmc, cf OE dubban "to dub") aéro-club affaît "ridge" affaîter affaler "to lower a rope, drive toward the shore" ( < Dut afhalen < Gmc) affalé affalement affourrager "to feed, fodder" affourragement affranchir "to free" ( < à + Fr franc < OFr franc < Gmc) affranchi affranchie affranchissant affranchisseur affranchissement enfranchisement affres (also affre) "pangs" ( < Prov affre < Goth aifrs < Gmc) affrètement affréter "to freight, lade" ( < à + Fr fret "freight" < Gmc) affréteur affreux "frightful, horrible" ( < à + Fr affre "fright, terror" < OFr afre < Gmc, cf OHG eiver) affre affreuse affreusement agacer "to set on edge" ( < It agazzare < OHG hazjan "to harry" < Gmc) age (Agric.) "tiller, ploughshare" ( < OFr haie < Frk *hagja "hedge, fence" < Gmc, cf Germ Hecke, OE hecg "hedge") agasse "magpie" ( < OHG agalstra < Gmc) agourmandi agourmandie agrafe "hook, clasp" ( < OFr agrape < LL *agrappa < ad + *grappa < Gmc, cf OHG krapfo) agrafer agrafé agrafeur agrafeuse agrafure agrapper agrappe agrape agréer "to rig" agrès "(naut) tackling, rigging" ( < gréer "to rig" < Gmc *garaiþjanan "to ready") agriffer agrincher (also agricher) ( < Frk *grīpjan "to seize" < Gmc) agrinche agrincheur agripper "to grip, grab" agrippant agrippement agrippeur agrippeuse agrippe-rossignols agrouper agroupé agroupement aguerrir "to accustom to war" ( < à + Fr guerre < OFr guerre < Frk *werra < Gmc *werra) aguerri aguerrie aguerrissement aguet (usu. pl. aguets) "ambush, wait" ( < OFr aguet < guetter < Frk *wahtōn < *wahta < Gmc) aguetter aguicher aguichage aguichant aguiché aguicherie aguicheur aguicheuse aguimpé aguimpée aheurter "to be bent on, be stubborn" ( < à + Fr heurter < Gmc) aheurté aheurtement ahonter ahurir "to amaze" ( < à + Fr hure < Gmc) ahuri ahurie ahurissant ahurissement aigrefin "swindler" aigrefine aigrette "egret" ( < OFr aigrette < OProv aigreta < aigron "heron" < OHG heigaro "heron" < Gmc) aire "eyry" ( < Germ aren "to make a nest" < aar "eagle" < Gmc) aigretté (also aigreté) -ais adjective suffix ( < LL -iscus < Frk *-isk < Gmc, cf OE -isc "-ish") -aise alamannique alan (also alain) alboche ale "ale" alêne (also alène) "awl" ( < OFr alesne < OHG alasna, alansa < Gmc) alèné alérion ( < Frk *adalaro, adalarjo "eagle, noble eagle" < Gmc) alize (also alise) "lote-tree berry" ( < Gmc, cf OHG elira) allemand "German" ( < Lat Allemanni < Gmc) allemande allemanderie allemanisé alleu (also aleu) "allodial property, allodial ownership" ( < OFr alou, aloud < MerovLat *allodium < Frk *allōd- < all- "all" + ōd "patrimony" < Gmc, cf OHG alôd) franc-alleu alleutier (also aleutier) allo (also allô) "hello" allodial "allodial" allodiale allodialité allotir "to allot" allotissement alpenstock alque ( < Norw alke < ON alka < Gmc) alsacien amade amadouer "to coax, cajole" ( MFr a- + madouer "to lure, give meat to" < ON mata (Dan made) "to lure, feed" < Gmc, cf Goth matjan "to eat") amadou amadouage amadoué amadoueur amadoueuse amadouement amadouvier amarelle amarrer "to moor" amarre amarré amarrage amarrage amatir amers amet amignarder amignonner amignoter (also amignotter) amignouter (also amignoutter) amman ammeistre amocher amoché amochée amuser "to amuse" ( < OFr amuser "to stupefy" < a- + muser "to stare stupidly at, be bewildered", either < OFr mus "snout" < ML musum < Gmc; or < Frk *masjan, musōn "to stun, confuse, confound" < Gmc, cf OE (ā)masian "to confuse, stupefy, bewilder", ON masa "to struggle, be confused", Norw mas "exhausting labour", Norw masast "to be dazed, begin to dream", Swed masa "to dawdle, idle", Swed mos "sluggish, sleepy") amusement amusable amusamment amusant amusante amusard amusé amuse-gueule amusée amusette amuseur amuseuse anche "pipe, reed" ( < Frk *ankja "bone canal" < Gmc, cf Goth *inka) anché "herald" anchée -and (also -an, -ain ) agent suffix ( < OFr -anc, -enc < Frk *-inc < Gmc, cf Eng -ing) -ande Flamand tisserand -ange noun suffix (e.g. mésange) ( < Frk *-ing < Gmc) anglais anglaise anglaisé anglaiser angleterre Anglican anglicane anglicanisme angliche angliciser anglicisé anglicisme Anglo-américain Anglo-arabe Anglo-normand Anglo-Saxon Anglo-saxonne anglomane anglomaniaque anglomanie anglophile anglophilie anglophobe anglophobie anglophone angon angstroem (also angström) anordir anschluss anspect "lever" ( < Dut handtspeecke "hand-stick" < Gmc) anté-bois (also antébois) antéallergique antébourgeois anti-allemand anti-allemande anti-bélier anti-bois anti-français (also antifrançais) anti-France anti-guérilla anti-guerrier anti-joli anti-raciste anti-skating anti-star (also antistar) antichoc antidoping antifading antigang antigaulliste antigrippe antirides antitrust antitrusts apiquer apiquage aplat aplatir aplatir aplati aplatissage aplatissant aplatissement aplatisseur aplatissoir aplatissoire après-guerre après-ski après-souper arauder arc-bouter arc-boutant arc-bouté arc-boutement -ard noun suffix ( < OFr -ard < LL -ardus < Frk *-hard < Gmc, cf OHG -hart, Goth -hardus) -arde ardillon "tongue of a buckle" ( < MFr hardillon < Frk *hard "hard" < Gmc + -ille + -on) arlequin "harlequin" arlequine arlequiner arlequiner arlequiné arlequinade armet "helmet, headpiece" ( < It elmetto "helmet" < Fr helme, heaume "helmet" < Frk *helm < Gmc *helmaz, cf OE helm "helm, helmet") armon arnac (also arnaque) arnache arnaquer arnaquer ( < Pic harnacher, arnaquer "to amuse, swindle" < harnacher "to harness, equip, disguise" < Gmc) arnaqueur arnaqueuse arnauldiste (also arnaldiste) arquebuse "arquebus" arquebuser arquebuser arquebusade arquebuserie arquebusier arquemontant ( alt. of earlier arqubouter < Gmc) arquemontante arranger "to arrange" arrangement arrangé arrangeable arrangeant arrangeur arrière-ban "arriere-ban" arrière-fief arrière-garde arrière-salle arrimer arrimage arrimeur arrimeuse arroi "array" assener "to strike" ( < a- + OFr sen "direction" < Gmc, cf OHG sinnan, Goth sinþan) assené assénement aste astic "polishing paste" asticot "small worm" astibloque astibloche asticoter "to tease, plague" asticotage asticoteur astiquer "to polish leather (with an astic)" astiquage astique astiqué astiqueur âtre "fireplace" attacher "to attach" attachement attachant attache attaché attachée attacheur attacheuse rattacher soustacher détachement attaquer "to attack" attaquabilité attaquable attaquant attaquante attaque attaqué attaqueur attifer "to adorn the head" ( < Frk *tipp-, tipf- < Gmc *tupp- "point", cf OHG tipfōn "to decorate", ON *tippa, MDu tip "point") attifage attifé attifement attifet attifeur attifeuse attifiaux attignole attirer "to attract" attirail attirable attirance attirant attirement attoucher "to touch, contact" attouchement "touch, contact" attraper "to trap, catch" attrape attrapé attrapable attrapade attrapage attrapeur attrapeuse attrapoire attrape-gogo (also attrape-gogos) attrape-mouche (also attrape-mouches) attrape-nigaud attrouper "to assemble, gather" attroupé attroupement aubère auberge "inn" auberger aubergerie aubergiste aubert aubète (also aubette) auburn -aud (also -aut) agent suffix ( < OFr -aud < LL -aldus < Frk *-wald < Gmc) -aude aulne (also aune) aulnage (also aunage) aulnette aune "an ell" (< Ofr alne < LL alena < Goth aleina < Gmc, cf OE eln "ell) auner auner aunée auneur aunnage aurochs auto-stop autoguidage autoguidé auvent "penthouse", ″awning″ ( < ML auventus < Prov emban < ambitus + bann < Gmc) avachir "to become limp" avachi avachissant avachissement avant-garde avant-gardisme avant-gardiste avant-guerre avion-stop

B baba babiller "to babble, chatter" ( < Gmc, cf ME babelen (Eng babble), ON babbla, Dut babbelen, Germ babbeln) babil babillard babillarde babillage babillement babillant babillerie babillet babilleur babilleuse babine "lip, mouth, chops" ( < bab "lip, grimace" < Gmc, cf Germ dial Bäppe) bâbord "portside, larboard" bâbordais babouin "baboon, monkey" ( < bab "lip, grimace" < Gmc, cf Germ dial Bäppe) babouine babouiner baby baby-foot bac "ferry-boat" bacante (also bacantes) "beard, moustache" ( < Germ Backe "cheek" < Gmc) bâche "awning, frame" ( < Wallon batche "board, plank < Gmc, cf MFr bauche < Frk *balko "balk, balcony" < Gmc) bachot "wherry, small skiff" bachoter bachoteur bachoteuse bachotage