French
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: enpr: frĕnch
ipa: /fɹɛnt͡ʃ/
rhymes: -ɛntʃ
Forms: form: French
form: Frenches
Etymology: Inherited from Middle English Frenche, Frensch, Frensc, Frenshe, Frenk, Franche, from Old English Frenċisċ (“Frankish, French”), from Proto-West Germanic *Frankisk (“Frankish”), equivalent to Frank + -ish (compare Frankish). Cognate with Middle Low German vranksch, frenkisch, vrenkesch, vrenksch (“Frankish, French”), Middle High German vrenkisch, vrensch ("Frankish, Franconian; > German fränkisch (“Frankish, Franconian”)), Danish fransk (“French”), Swedish fransk, fransysk (“French”), Icelandic franska (“French”).
Doublet of Frankish; piecewise doublet of Francis, Franz, and Francisco, which are derived from Late Latin Franciscus
In reference to vulgar language, from expressions such as pardon my French in the early 19th century, originally in reference to actual (but often mildly impolite) French expressions by the upper class, subsequently adopted ironically by the lower class for English curse words under the charitable conceit that the listener would not be familiar with them.
In reference to vermouth, a shortened form of French vermouth, distinguished as usually being drier than Italian vermouth.
Senses: examples: text: The Hundred Years' War was fought between the English and the French.
text: Under the Fourth Republic, more and more French unionized.
text: […]to breake the necke of the wicked purposes & plots of the French[…]
ref: 1579, Francesco Guicciardini as, translated by Geoffrey Fenton, The Historie of Guicciardin, page 378:
text: Such is the nature and complexion of the frenches, that they are worth nothing, but at the first push.
ref: 1653, François Rabelais, translated by Thomas Urquhart, Works of Mr. Francis Rabelais, volume I, page 214:
text: On the way, scouts reported that some French were heading toward them across the ice.
ref: 2002, Jeremy Thornton, The French and Indian War, page 14:
text: While the concept of remigration has long existed in academia, its hijacking by the far right on social media appears to have begun about a decade ago when French adherents to identitarianism, an ethno-nationalist movement, organised what they described as the inaugural meeting in Paris on remigration.
ref: 2024 October 3, Ashifa Kassam, “How remigration became a buzzword for global far right”, in The Guardian:
glosses: The people of France; groups of French people.
examples: text: French--^([sic]) to do the French--Cocksucking; and, inversely, to tongue a woman.
ref: 1916, Henry Nathaniel Cary, The Slang of Venery and Its Analogues, volume I, page 94:
text: You can be whipped or caned... or you can have French for another pound.
ref: 1968, Bill Turner, Sex Trap, page 64:
text: Always use condoms with Greek (anal intercourse), straight sex (vaginal intercourse, fucking), French (oral sex).
ref: 1986 May 6, Semper Floreat, page 34:
text: ‘French’—still used by prostitutes as a term for oral sex.
ref: 1996 October 13, Observer, page 25:
topics: lifestyle
sex
sexuality
glosses: Synonym of oral sex, especially fellatio.
synonyms: word: oral sex
extra: especially fellatio
examples: text: Tearle replied that gin-and-French and virginian cigarettes would do for him.
ref: 1930, Ethel Mannin, Confessions & Impressions, page 177:
text: He was drinking double gins with single Frenches in them.
ref: 1967, Michael Francis Gilbert, The Dust & the Heat, page 14:
glosses: Ellipsis of French vermouth, a type of dry vermouth.
qualifier: non-native speakers' English
glosses: A French person.
Derived terms: gin and French