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Noms à double genre
One of the first – and possibly worst – things French students learn is that all nouns have a gender, either masculine or feminine. The good news is more than 100* can be either – though they may tend toward one gender or the other.
| Français | English | Notes | |
| accore | shore | prop or beam used as support | |
| achélem | public housing | see HLM, below | |
| acmé | acme, peak | ||
| after | after party | usually masculine | |
| alvéole | alveolus, cell | usually feminine | |
| amazone | Amazon parrot | ||
| ammodyte | sand viper | ||
| après-midi aprèm, aprème |
afternoon | apocopes |
|
| aréna, arena | arena | Canadian term | |
| autoroute | highway | ||
| avant-guerre | pre-war years | ||
| azalée | azalea | ||
| balane | acorn barnacle | ||
| baston | fight, punch-up | familiar | |
| bilig billig |
crêpe maker | appliance | |
| break breakdance break dance break danse |
break dancing | ||
| butternut | butternut squash | aka le doubeurre | |
| calzone | calzone | ||
| carpocapse | codling moth | ||
| chaintre | headland | agricultural term | |
| chistéra chistera |
wicker basket | in the Basque game pelote | |
| coca | coca plant | ||
| cola | cola nut | ||
| country | country music | ||
| COVID-19 | COVID-19 | Académie française says (f), but most native speakers say le COVID-19 | |
| enzyme | enzyme | ||
| éphémère | ephemera, mayfly | ||
| fétuque | fescue | type of grass | |
| flammekueche | tarte flambée | Alsatian speciality: white “pizza” with very thin crust | |
| flashmob | flash mob | ||
| folk | folk music | ||
| goulache goulasch goulash |
goulash | Hungarian speciality: beef stew with paprika | |
| happy end | happy ending | franglais at its finest | |
| harissa | harissa | North African speciality: spicy red pepper sauce | |
| harmonique | harmonic, overtone | ||
| HLM H.L.M. |
public housing | abbreviation of Habitation à loyer modéré, so (f) is preferred | |
| holding | holding company | ||
| hymne | hymn | religious song | |
| imago | imago | imaginal stage of an insect’s metamorphosis | |
| interview | interview | ||
| jaque | jackfruit | ||
| jet-set jet set |
jet set | ||
| joint-venture | joint venture | ||
| kalachnikov | Kalachnikov | ||
| kola | cola nut | ||
| laccolithe | laccolith, laccolite | geographical formation | |
| laque | lacquer | ||
| limule | limulus | horseshoe crab | |
| livédo livedo |
livedo | certain skin discoloration | |
| manucure | manicure | ||
| manzanilla | manzanilla | very dry white wine, usually feminine | |
| margarita | margarita | tequila-based cocktail | |
| météorite | meterorite | ||
| mirepoix | mirepoix | mixture of celery, onion, and carrots | |
| moufle | pulley block | ||
| nymphée | nymphaeum | ancient monument | |
| oasis | oasis | usually feminine | |
| ordonnance | regulation | it’s only unisex for this specific meaning | |
| palabre | palaver | discussion | |
| parka | parka | ||
| perce-neige | snowdrop | winter flower | |
| photomaton | photo booth | ||
| poiscaille | fish | informal | |
| poliste | paper wasp | ||
| pop | pop music | ||
| quadrille | quadrille | dancing | |
| quatre-épices | allspice | ||
| quatre-quatre | jeep, 4×4 | ||
| réclâme | rest, respite, break | ||
| réglisse | liquorice | ||
| relâche | rest, break | ||
| salomé | T-bar sandal | ||
| schappe | waste silk | ||
| semi-remorque | semi(-trailer truck), articulated lorry | ||
| sex-shop sexe-shop |
sex shop | ||
| shot | shot | (alcohol) generally (m) in France, (f) in Canada | |
| squatine | angelfish | ||
| statice | sea lavender | ||
| stévia | stevia | natural sweetener | |
| stout | stout | dark beer | |
| synopsis | movie plot outline | ||
| tachine | tachina fly | ||
| tennis | tennis shoe | ||
| thermos | Thermos | ||
| vérétille | veretillum | bioluminescent species | |
| zydeco | zydeco music | ||
* According to Le Grand Robert numérique Version 4.1, there are 173 such terms, many of which are very rare, technical, or scientific. For the complete list, use advanced search:
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