éléphant
See also: elephant, Elephant, and êléphant
French
Etymology
From Middle French elephant, from Old French elefant, a borrowing from Latin elephantus, from Ancient Greek ἐλέφας, ἐλέφαντος (eléphas, eléphantos). The commoner Old French form was olifan(t), whence the modern doublet olifant (“ivory horn”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /e.le.fɑ̃/
audio (un éléphant) (file)
Noun
éléphant m (plural éléphants, feminine éléphante)
- elephant
Derived terms
- comme un éléphant dans un magasin de porcelaine
- éléphant blanc
- éléphant d'Afrique
- éléphant d'Asie
- éléphant de mer
- mémoire d'éléphant
- pattes d'éléphant
- pied d'éléphant
Descendants
- Haitian Creole: elefan
- → Romanian: elefant
Further reading
- “éléphant”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Norman
Alternative forms
- êléphant (Jersey)
Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French elephant, itself a learned borrowing from Latin elephantus, from Ancient Greek ἐλέφας, ἐλέφαντος (eléphas, eléphantos).
Noun
éléphant m (plural éléphants)
- (Guernsey) elephant