éléphant

See also: elephant, Elephant, and êléphant

French

Etymology

Inherited from Middle French elephant, from Old French elefant, a borrowing from Latin elephantus, from Ancient Greek ἐλέφας, ἐλέφαντος (eléphas, eléphantos). The commoner Old French form was olifan(t), whence the modern doublet olifant (“ivory horn”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /e.le.fɑ̃/

• Audio; “un éléphant”:

  (file)

Noun

éléphant m (plural éléphants, feminine éléphante)

1. elephant

Derived terms

• comme un éléphant dans un magasin de porcelaine
• éléphant blanc
• éléphant d’Afrique
• éléphant d’Asie
• éléphant de mer
• mémoire d’éléphant
• pattes d’éléphant
• pied d’éléphant

Descendants

• Haitian Creole: elefan
• → Romanian: elefant

Further reading

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

Norman

Alternative forms

• êléphant (Jersey)

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French elephant, itself a learned borrowing from Latin elephantus, from Ancient Greek ἐλέφας, ἐλέφαντος (eléphas, eléphantos).

Noun

éléphant m (plural éléphants)

1. (Guernsey) elephant