clairsemer

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French

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Etymology

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Back-formation from clairsemé (sparse, adjective).

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /klɛʁ.sə.me/
  • Audio:(file)

Verb

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clairsemer

  1. to dwindle
  2. to disperse, scatter
  3. to thin out

Conjugation

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This verb is conjugated like parler, except the -e- /ə/ of the second-to-last syllable becomes -è- /ɛ/ when the next vowel is a silent or schwa -e-, as in the third-person singular present indicative il clairsème and the third-person singular future indicative il clairsèmera.

Further reading

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