enrouler
wrap · roll
Tourner quelque chose sur lui-même ou autour d’un objet pour former des cercles ou des boucles.
Definition & meaning
Enrouler is a French verb meaning to roll up, to wind, or to wrap something around something else.
It can be used in several related ways:
-
To roll something up
- enrouler un tapis — to roll up a carpet
- enrouler une affiche — to roll up a poster
-
To wind or coil something around something
- enrouler une corde autour d’un poteau — to wind a rope around a post
- enrouler un fil autour d’une bobine — to wind a thread around a spool
-
To wrap someone or something
- enrouler un enfant dans une couverture — to wrap a child in a blanket
The pronominal form s’enrouler means to curl up, to coil around something, or to wrap oneself around something:
- Le serpent s’enroule autour de la branche. — The snake coils around the branch.
- Elle s’est enroulée dans une couverture. — She wrapped herself in a blanket.
Grammar & Word origin
Enrouler is a regular first-group verb ending in -er.
- Infinitive: enrouler
- Present, first person: j’enroule
- Past participle: enroulé
- Pronominal form: s’enrouler
The word is formed from the prefix en- and rouler , meaning “to roll.” The prefix gives the idea of enclosing or putting something into a rolled form.
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonyms
- rouler — to roll; more general and does not necessarily imply winding something around another object.
- envelopper — to wrap or envelop; emphasizes covering something, whereas enrouler often emphasizes rolling or winding.
- entortiller — to twist or wind around, sometimes in a messy or tangled way.
- encercler — to encircle or surround; it describes surrounding something but not necessarily rolling or wrapping it.
Antonyms
- dérouler — to unroll or unwind something that has been rolled up.
- déplier — to unfold something, especially something folded rather than rolled.
- défaire — to undo or dismantle; a broader antonym that can apply to something wrapped or arranged.
Common phrases & collocations
- enrouler un câble — to coil a cable
- enrouler une corde — to wind a rope
- enrouler un tapis — to roll up a carpet
- enrouler une cigarette — to roll a cigarette
- enrouler quelque chose autour de quelque chose — to wrap or wind something around something else
- s’enrouler autour de — to coil or wrap oneself around
- s’enrouler dans une couverture — to wrap oneself in a blanket
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Examples
Je vais enrouler le fil autour du bâton.verb
I am going to wrap the wire around the stick.
Marie apprend à enrouler le tissu correctement.verb
Marie is learning to roll the fabric correctly.
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