noun
le fossé
ditch
C'est une longue tranchée creusée dans la terre, souvent au bord d'une route ou autour d'un champ, pour évacuer l'eau ou servir de séparation.
Definition & meaning
The French word fossé has two primary meanings:
- Ditch or trench: A long, narrow excavation in the ground, usually dug along a road, a field, or a fortification to drain water or provide a barrier.
- Gap or divide: A figurative term used to describe a significant difference or lack of communication between two people, groups, or ideas. It implies an intellectual, social, or emotional chasm that is difficult to bridge.
Grammar & Word origin
- Grammar: It is a masculine noun.
- Word origin: It comes from the Old French fossé, which derived from the Latin fossatum, meaning "a place dug out," stemming from the verb fodere (to dig).
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
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Examples
Il y a un fossé près de la route.noun
There is a ditch near the road.
Les fossés étaient remplis d’eau après l’orage.noun
The ditches were filled with water after the storm.
Le randonneur a sauté par-dessus un fossé étroit pour continuer son chemin.noun
The hiker jumped over a narrow ditch to continue his path.
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