la brume

The French word « brume » means mist or haze. It refers to a thin, light fog or a fine spray of water droplets suspended in the air near the ground, which reduces visibility but is less dense than fog (« brouillard »).

Meaning:

• Brume usually describes a gentle, atmospheric condition where visibility is somewhat reduced, creating a soft, blurry effect in the environment.
• It can also be used figuratively to describe obscurity or vagueness (e.g., "la brume de ses souvenirs" = the haze of his/her memories).

Synonyms and differences:

• Brouillard: Means fog and denotes a thicker, denser accumulation of water droplets near the ground, causing much more limited visibility compared to « brume ». It’s heavier and more opaque.
• Nébulosité: Refers generally to cloudiness or cloud cover, more in meteorological terms, not necessarily near the ground.
• Fumée: Means smoke, which might resemble « brume » visually, but it originates from fire or combustion rather than atmospheric moisture.

In short, if visibility is slightly blurred but you can still see far, it’s likely « brume », whereas if visibility is significantly impaired, with a dense, heavy layer of moisture, it’s « brouillard ».