étau
French edit
Etymology edit
From Middle French estau, estot (“vise”, 16th c.). Probably from Old French estoc (“trunk”), from Frankish *stokk; compare German Schraubstock. If so, a doublet of estoc. Alternatively, a doublet of étal instead, but the Middle French form in -ot makes this appear less likely, particularly as the same spelling also occurs for estoc in other senses.
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
étau m (plural étaux)
- vise, vice (instrument consisting of two jaws for holding work)
- (figuratively) noose, net
- L’étau se resserre. ― The noose is tightening.
- 2023 May, Constant Léon, “L'Arménie en quête de soutien”, in Le Monde diplomatique, page 12:
- L’étau se resserre autour du Haut-Karabakh, que Bakou entend ramener dans son giron.
- The net is tightening around Nagorno-Karabakh, which Baku intends to bring back into its fold.
Further reading edit
- “étau”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.