femme

Meaning

1. woman
2. wife
3. Alternative form of fem (“femme, feminine lesbian”) (contrast butch)

Gender

♀️ Feminine

Pronounced as (IPA)

/fam/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle French femme, from Old French fam(m)e, fem(m)e, fenme, from Latin fēmina, from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁-m̥h₁n-éh₂ (“(the one) nursing, breastfeeding”), derivation of the verbal root *dʰeh₁(y)- (“to suck, suckle”). The Old French pronunciation was [fɛ̃mə], which then became [fãmə] through lowering of nasal vowels, finally [famə] in Middle French through denasalisation before /m/, /n/. Other words in which -e- is pronounced /a/ include couenne, solennel, and the adverbs in -emment.
See cognates in regional languages in France: Norman and Gallo fame; Picard fanme; Bourguignon fonne; Franco-Provençal fèna; Occitan femna; Corsican femina.

Sentences

Une jeune femme l'accompagne dans sa fuite à travers le désert du Mexique .

A young woman accompanies him on his escape through the Mexican desert.

On retrouve Vissarion rendant visite à une femme handicapée .

We find Vissarion visiting a disabled woman.

Elle a été la première poète femme à recevoir ces prestigieuses distinctions .

She was the first female poet to receive these prestigious awards.

C'est une journaliste , une chroniqueuse et une femme politique grecque .

She is a Greek journalist, columnist and politician.

Le peintre a multiplié les symboles qui rendent la jeune femme irréelle .

The painter has multiplied the symbols that make the young woman unreal.

Omer eut le désir de contempler sa femme , et rentra dans la chambre .

Omer had the desire to contemplate his wife, and returned to the room.

Puis Glenarvan, précédant sa femme et la soutenant , commença à descendre à reculons .

Then Glenarvan, preceding his wife and supporting her, began to descend backwards.

Le clip dépeint un conflit intérieur d'une jeune femme face à une relation abusive .

The clip depicts a young woman's inner conflict over an abusive relationship.