Language/English/Vocabulary/French-words-used-in-English

Here are some of the main English words with a French origin.

Feel free to complete this list 😊

Take a moment to explore these relevant pages as you conclude this lesson: Difference between ROBBER, BURGLAR ..., Words ending with the suffix less, Along & Colors.

A

1. Allowance – from the Old French word alouance (payment)
2. Apostrophe – from the French word apostrophe
3. Attaché – from the French word attaché (attached)
4. Apéritif – from the French word apéritif 
5. Avant-garde – from the French word avant-garde
6. Aviation – from the French word aviation

B

1. Bachelor – from the Anglo-Norman word bacheler (bachelier in modern French)
2. Baguette – from the French word baguette (stick)
3. Ballet – from the French word ballet
4. Beret – from the French word béret
5. blond - from the French blond, describing someone who is male with light-coloured hair
6. blonde - from the French blonde, describintête-à-têteg someone who is female with light-coloured hair. Interestingly, blond/blonde follow masculine and feminine usage in English like it does in French.
7. Bon voyage – from the French phrase bon voyage (have a good journey)
8. Brunette – from the French word brunette
9. Bureau – from the French word bureau (desk, office)

C

1. Cabaret – from the French word cabaret
2. Cadet – from the French word cadet
3. Champagne – from the French word champagne
4. Chauffeur – from the French word chauffeur
5. chef - from the French word chef
6. Chic – from the French word chic (élégant)
7. Cliché – from the French word cliché
8. Connoisseur – from the French word connaisseur
9. Croissant – from the French word croissant
10. Cul-de-sac – from the French word cul-de-sac (bottom of the bag/sack)

D

1. Debris – from the French word débris (broken, crumbled)
2. Déjà vu – from the French words déjà (already) and vu (seen – past participle of ‘voir’)
3. Delegate – from the Old French word delegat
4. Detour – from the French word détour (from détourner)
5. Dossier – from the French word dossier

E

1. Eau de toilette – from the French word eau de toilette
2. Elite – from the Old French word elit (chosen)
3. Energy – from the Middle French word énergie
4. En route – from the French en route
5. Entrepreneur - from the Frnech "entrepreneur"
6. Envisage – from the French word envisager
7. Expatriate – from the French word expatrier

F

1. Facade – from the French word façade
2. Faux, as in faux fur – from the French word faux (false)
3. Faux-pas – from the French word faux pas
4. Fiancé – from the French word fiancé
5. Film noir – from the French word film noir (a film genre)

G

1. Gallery – from the Old French word galerie
2. Gastronomy – from the French word gastronomie
3. Gateau – from the French word gâteau
4. Gazette – from the French word gazette

H

1. Heritage – from the Old French word eritage (héritage in modern French)
2. Homage – from the Old French word homage
3. Hotel – from the French word hôtel

I

1. Identity – from the Middle French word identité
2. Illusion – from the Old French word illusion
3. Insult – from the Middle French words insult (noun) and insulter (verb)
4. Irony – from the Middle French word ironie

J

1. Jubilee – from the Middle French word jubile (modern French jubilé)
2. Kilogram – from the French word kilogramme

L

1. Lacrosse – from the Canadian French word la crosse (the stick)
2. Laissez-faire – from the French word laissez-faire (leave things to take their course)
3. Liaison – from the French word liaison
4. Literature – from the Old French word littérature

M

1. Machine – from the Middle French word machine
2. Magnificent – from the Middle French word magnificent
3. Maisonette – from the French word maisonette
4. Massage – from the French word massage
5. Menu – from the French word menu
6. Metabolism – from the French word métabolisme
7. Metro – from the French word métro
8. Musketeer – from the French word mousquetaire

N

1. Navy – from the Old French word navie
2. Neutral – from the Middle French word neutral
3. Nocturnal – from the Middle French word nocturnal
4. Novel – from the Old French word novel

O

1. Occasion – from the Middle French word occasion
2. Omelette – from the French word omelette
3. Optimism – from the French word optimisme
4. Papier-mâché – from the French word papier-mâché

P

1. Parasol – from the French word parasol
2. Poetic – from the Middle French word poétique
3. Premiere – from the French word première
4. Purify – from the Old French word purifier

R

1. Recipient – from the Middle French word récipient
2. Rendez-vous – from the French word rendez-vous (appointment)
3. Reservoir – from the French word ‘réservoir’ (collection place)
4. Resumé – from the French word ‘résumé’. It means CV in English and "Summary" in French.
5. Restaurant – from the French word restaurant
6. Ricochet – from the French word ricochet
7. Rich – from the French word riche
8. Ridicule – from the French word ridicule
9. Risqué – from the French word risqué

S

1. Sabotage – from the French word sabotage
2. Salad – from the French word salade
3. Sentiment – from the Old French word sentement
4. Silhouette – from the French word silhouette 
5. Solicitor – from the Middle French word soliciteur
6. Souvenir – from the French word souvenir (memory)
7. Soufflé – from the French word soufflé
8. Soup – from the French word soupe

T

1. Technique – from the French word technique
2. Television – from the French word télévision
3. tete-a-tete - from the French expression tête-à-tête
4. Tournament – from the Old French word tornoiement (tournoiement in modern French)

U

1. Uniform – from the Middle French word uniforme
2. Utensil – from the Old French word utensile

V

1. Valid – from the Middle French word valide
2. Variety – from the Middle French word varieté
3. Vinaigrette – from the French word vinaigrette

Z

1. Zest – from the French word zeste

Sources

https://blog.busuu.com/french-words-in-english/

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