enfant
French edit
Etymology edit
Inherited from Middle French enfant, from Old French enfant, from Latin īnfantem.
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
enfant m or f by sense (plural enfants)
- child (someone who is not yet an adult)
- child (offspring of any age)
- son, native (of a place)
- enfant de Paris ― Paris native
- enfant des États-Unis ― native of the United States
- enfant du pays ― native of the country
Usage notes edit
Rarely used as a feminine noun.
Derived terms edit
Related terms edit
Descendants edit
- Saint Dominican Creole French: z'enfant
See also edit
Further reading edit
- “enfant”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Middle French edit
Etymology edit
From Old French enfant.
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
enfant m (plural enfanz)
Descendants edit
- French: enfant
Occitan edit
Alternative forms edit
Etymology edit
Probably borrowed from Latin īnfāns, īnfāntem.
Noun edit
enfant m (plural enfants)
Related terms edit
Old French edit
Alternative forms edit
Etymology edit
Probably borrowed from Latin īnfāntem, accusative singular of īnfāns. The nominative form enfes derives from the Latin nominative form īnfāns.
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
enfant oblique singular, m (oblique plural enfanz, nominative singular enfes, nominative plural enfant)
- child
- 13th century, Herman de Valenciennes, Assomption Nostre Dame, page 8, column 1, line 28:
- totes les puceles & trestuit li enfant
- All the young women and all the children