nounnoun

le membre

member

C'est une personne qui fait partie d'un groupe, d'une famille ou d'une organisation.

Membre is a masculine French noun with several related meanings:

A limb or body part, especially an arm or a leg:
- un membre supérieur — an upper limb
- un membre inférieur — a lower limb
In more formal or euphemistic language, membre can also refer to the male sexual organ, especially in the expression membre viril .
A member of a group, organization, association, or institution:
- un membre du club — a club member
- un membre du gouvernement — a government member
A part or component of a larger whole, particularly in formal, literary, or grammatical contexts:
- un membre de phrase — a clause or part of a sentence

Gender: masculine: un membre
Plural: des membres
When referring to a female person belonging to a group, traditional usage often still uses the masculine form un membre . The form une membre is also increasingly used in contemporary and inclusive French.
It comes from Latin membrum , meaning “limb,” “body part,” or “member.”

The sense “person belonging to a group” developed from the idea that an individual is a part of a larger body or collective.

Depending on the meaning:

Body part or limb: partie du corps , membre du corps , appendice , or specifically bras and jambe . These are not always exact equivalents: membre is more general and formal.
Person belonging to a group: adhérent , participant , sociétaire , or affilié .
- adhérent usually emphasizes membership in an association or subscription-based organization.
- participant emphasizes taking part in an activity.
- sociétaire is often used for a member of a society, cooperative, or company.
- affilié emphasizes an official connection with an organization.