la monture

The French word "monture" has a few related meanings depending on the context:

1. Eyewear frame: "Monture" commonly refers to the frame of glasses or sunglasses — the structure that holds the lenses.

2. Mount or harness for animals: It can also mean the saddle, bridle, or the general equipment used to ride or control an animal, especially a horse. Sometimes "monture" refers to the animal itself that one rides, like a horse, in literary or old-fashioned contexts.

3. Mounting or setting: In jewelry, "monture" can denote the metal setting that holds a gemstone in place.

Synonyms and differences:

• For eyewear:

  • Monture = glasses frame.
  • There’s no direct synonym commonly used for this sense, but you might hear "armatures" (the metal parts of the frame) or just "lunettes" for "glasses."

• For animals:

  • Monture refers to the mount or riding equipment.
  • Selle means "saddle," a specific part of the mount equipment.
  • Équipement means broadly "equipment."
  • Cheval means "horse" specifically, which can sometimes be called a "monture" in poetic contexts.

In summary, "monture" usually means the frame of glasses, or a mount for riding animals, and by extension the support or setting keeping something in place. The choice between synonyms depends very much on the specific object or animal and context.