genou
See also: genoù
French
Etymology
From Old French genouz, genoilz plural of genoil, from Late Latin genuculum, alteration of Latin geniculum, diminutive of genū (“knee”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵónu. Cognate to Bourguignon genô, Occitan genolh.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ʒə.nu/
audio (file) Audio (Paris) (file) - Homophone: genoux
Noun
genou m (plural genoux)
- knee
- lap
Usage notes
Only seven words in French ending in -ou have their plurals in -oux instead of -ous: bijou, caillou, chou, genou, hibou, joujou, pou.
Derived terms
- agenouiller
- mou du genou
Descendants
- Esperanto: genuo
Further reading
- “genou”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Norman
Noun
genou m (plural genoux)
- Alternative form of g'nou