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noun

le cheval

horse

C'est un grand animal à quatre pattes, souvent utilisé pour monter ou tirer des chariots. Il vit à la ferme ou dans la nature.

Definition & meaning

The primary meaning of cheval is a horse. It refers to the large, hoofed mammal of the Equidae family, which humans have historically used for transportation, agricultural work, and sport.

In a broader or figurative sense, the word is used in several contexts:

  • Chess: It refers to the piece shaped like a horse's head, known in English as the "knight."
  • Gymnastics: It refers to specialized equipment, such as the cheval d'arçons [?](vocabuo://word/cheval d'arçons) (pommel horse) or the cheval de saut [?](vocabuo://word/cheval de saut) (vaulting horse).
  • Power measurement: The term cheval-vapeur (often abbreviated as CV or ch) is the French equivalent of "horsepower," used to measure the power of engines.
  • Cooking: À cheval [?](vocabuo://word/à cheval) is an expression used when a fried egg is placed on top of a dish, usually a steak.

Grammar & Word origin

Grammar: The word cheval is a masculine noun. Its plural form is irregular: instead of adding an "s," the ending changes to "aux," becoming chevaux .

Word origin: The word derives from the Vulgar Latin caballus, which originally referred to a "work horse" or a "pack horse." This replaced the Classical Latin word equus, which survives in French primarily through the adjective équin (equine).

Synonyms & antonyms

Synonyms:

  • Monture : A general term for an animal that is ridden.
  • Coursier : Often used in literary contexts to describe a fast or noble horse.
  • Canasson : A familiar or slang term for a horse, often implying it is of poor quality.
  • Destrier : A historical term for a medieval warhorse.
  • Bidet : An old-fashioned term for a small sturdy horse used for riding or post-carrying.

Antonyms: While there are no direct antonyms for a biological species, one might contrast it by size or type with:

  • Poney : A pony, used to distinguish smaller breeds from full-sized horses.
  • Piéton : A pedestrian, in the context of movement (someone on foot vs. someone on a horse).

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Examples

Ce cheval adore galoper dans le pré.noun

This horse loves galloping in the meadow.

Marie regarde le cheval noir.noun

Marie looks at the black horse.

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