flèche
English edit
Etymology edit
Borrowed from French flèche. Compare fletch.
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
flèche (plural flèches)
- (obsolete) An arrow.
- (backgammon) Any of the twenty-four points on a backgammon board.
- (architecture) A spire or steeple, especially of Gothic style; an object emerging from the ridge of a roof.
- (military, fortification) An earthwork consisting of two berms forming an angle with an open gorge.
- (fencing) A method of attack with a sword (foil or épée) in which the attacker's back leg crosses in front of the front leg in the offensive move.
Related terms edit
Related terms edit
Verb edit
flèche (third-person singular simple present flèches, present participle flèching, simple past and past participle flèched)
- (fencing) To attack using the flèche method.
Anagrams edit
French edit
Etymology edit
Inherited from Middle French fleche, from Old French fleche, from Vulgar Latin *fleccia, a borrowing from Frankish.
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
flèche f (plural flèches)
- (archery, symbol) arrow (projectile or symbol)
- (architecture) spire
- jib
- pointer, needle
- (fencing) fleche
- (informal, figuratively) bright spark, quick study
- Synonym: tête
Derived terms edit
Descendants edit
Verb edit
flèche
- inflection of flécher:
See also edit
Further reading edit
- “flèche”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.