étau
French
![](Images/wiktionary/ViceBench-insetSoftJaws.jpg.webp)
A vise / vice
Etymology
From Old Frankish *stok.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /e.to/
Audio (Nancy, France) (file)
Noun
étau m (plural étaux)
- vice (UK), vise (US)
- (figuratively) noose
- L'étau se resserre. ― The noose is tightening.
Further reading
- “étau”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.