le cul
butt · ass
C'est la partie du corps sur laquelle on s'assoit, située en bas du dos.
Definition & meaning
Cul is a masculine, vulgar or very informal French noun meaning “ass,” “butt,” or “bottom.”
It has several related meanings:
-
The buttocks or rear end of a person
- Il est tombé sur le cul. — “He fell on his ass.”
- Bouge ton cul ! — “Move your ass!” This is rude and forceful.
-
The anus, especially in vulgar expressions
In this sense, it is more offensive than the neutral word anus . -
The bottom, rear, or back end of an object
- le cul d’une bouteille — “the bottom of a bottle”
- le cul d’un camion — “the rear of a truck”
-
A vulgar insult referring to a person
- un pauvre cul — “a poor fool” or “a pathetic person”
- tête de cul — literally “ass-head,” meaning “asshole” or “jerk”
-
Luck, in the expression avoir du cul
This means “to be lucky,” in a vulgar or familiar register:- Il a vraiment du cul ! — “He’s really lucky!”
Grammar & Word origin
- Gender: masculine
- Singular: cul
- Plural: culs
- Pronunciation: approximately /ky/, like the French letter u followed by an l
The word comes from Latin culus, meaning “buttocks” or “rear.” It is an old word, but in modern French it is generally considered vulgar, except in certain fixed expressions or compounds.
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonyms
- fesses — “buttocks”; familiar but much less vulgar and often more neutral
- derrière — “rear” or “bottom”; polite and indirect
- postérieur — “posterior” or “rear”; formal or euphemistic
- fondement — a formal or old-fashioned word for “bottom”
Cul is generally cruder and more direct than these alternatives. There is no exact antonym. In expressions contrasting the front and rear of something, tête can represent the opposite end.
Common phrases & collocations
- avoir du cul — to be lucky; vulgar
- bouge ton cul — move your ass; rude
- tomber sur le cul — to fall on one’s backside; also figuratively, to be extremely surprised
- se bouger le cul — to get moving or make an effort; vulgar
- cul-de-sac — dead end; literally “bottom of the bag”
- à moitié cul — badly done or of poor quality; very informal
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Examples
Ce livre explique pourquoi les ânes ont un petit cul.noun
This book explains why donkeys have a small butt.
Son cul est couvert de peinture rouge.noun
His ass is covered in red paint.
Il est tombé sur le cul.noun
He fell on his ass.
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