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Noms Ă 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 | crĂŞpe 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 | AcadĂ©mie française says it’s feminine, but most native speakers say le COVID-19 |
| enzyme | enzyme | |
| éphémère | ephemera, mayfly | |
| fétuque | fescue | type of grass |
| flammekueche | tarte flambĂ©e | Alsatian speciality: white “pizza” with a 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 feminine 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-Ă©pices | allspice | |
| quatre-quatre | jeep, 4×4 | |
| réglisse | liquorice | |
| relâche | rest | |
| 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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