espiègle

French

Etymology

Borrowed from German Eulenspiegel, based on the folklore character Till Eulenspiegel; from Middle Low German Ūlenspēgel.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɛs.pjɛɡl/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Audio (Paris):

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Noun

espiègle m (plural espiègles)

1. prankster, imp, rascal

Adjective

espiègle (plural espiègles)

1. playful, frolicsome
2. impish, mischievous
3. skittish

Derived terms

• espièglerie (“impish prank”)

References

• Nouveau Petit Larousse illustré. Dictionnaire encyclopédique. Paris, Librairie Larousse, 1952, 146th edition

Further reading

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