Lune de miel


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French Expression

Meaning	honeymoon
Literally	moon of honey
Register	normal
Pronunciation		[loon d(eu) myehl]
IPA		[lyn də mjɛl]

Usage notes: The French expression la lune de miel technically refers to the lunar month (29 days) immediately following a wedding, when the couple is madly in love and everything is wonderful (at least in theory).

Perhaps due to the influence of English, lune de miel has come to mean the trip newlyweds take right after the ceremony. This is a bit confusing in French, since the honeymoon trip usually takes place during the aforementioned "moon of honey," and is therefore part of it. So the more accurate French expression for the actual trip is voyage de noces.

Par exemple…

Nous sommes partis en Italie pour notre lune de miel.		We went to Italy for our honeymoon.
Ils ne vont pas partir en lune de miel.		They’re not going on on a honeymoon.

Lune de miel / honeymoon can be used figuratively when talking about a high point or pleasant beginning of a relationship.

Par exemple…

Après la dispute avec notre nouveau chef, la lune de miel était finie.

After the argument with our new boss, the honeymoon was over.

Lune de miel in action

Example of lune de miel in a real-life video from Lawless French Immersion:

Et si, un jour, elle a disparu, c’est qu’elle est partie en lune de miel		And if, one day, she has disappeared, it means that she has left on her honeymoon
Video: OrelSan – Tout va bien

In addition, la lune de miel can refer to the early stages of an illness, such as diabetes or Parkinson’s disease, when the symptoms are still mild. In English, this is known as the “honeymoon period.”