hameau

French

Etymology

Inherited from Middle French hamel, from Old French hamel (“hamlet”), diminutive of ham (“small village”), from Frankish *haim (“village, home”), from Proto-Germanic *haimaz (“village, home”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱóymos (“village, home”), from *tḱey-. Cognate with Old High German heim (“village, home”), Old English hām (“village, home”). More at home.

Pronunciation

• ^{(aspirated h)} IPA^(key): /a.mo/

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Noun

hameau m (plural hameaux)

1. hamlet

   Synonyms: bourgade, village

   J’habite dans la cité, moi, mais mon ami-ci habite dans le hameau. ― I live in the city, but my friend here lives in the hamlet.

Derived terms

• écohameau

Further reading

• “hameau”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.