farouche

English

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from French farouche.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fəˈɹuːʃ/
• Rhymes: -uːʃ

Adjective

farouche (comparative more farouche, superlative most farouche)

1. Sullen or recalcitrant.

Translations

sullen or recalcitrant

• Bulgarian: мрачен (bg) (mračen), необщителен (bg) (neobštitelen)

French

Etymology

From Old French faroche, alteration of forasche, from Late Latin forāsticus (“belonging outside”), from Latin forās (“out of doors”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fa.ʁuʃ/

• Audio:

  (file)

Adjective

farouche (plural farouches)

1. (of animals) wild, shy of humans

   apprivoiser une bête farouche ― to tame a wild beast

2. shy, unsociable, retiring, hesitant

   un regard farouche ― a shy glance

   • 1960, “L'eau à la bouche”, performed by Serge Gainsbourg:

     Écoute ma voix écoute ma prière / Écoute mon cœur qui bat, laisse-toi faire / Je t’en prie ne sois pas farouche / Quand me vient l’eau à la bouche

     Listen to my voice, listen to my prayer / Listen to my beating heart, let yourself go / I beg you don't be shy / When my mouth waters

3. (of women) distant, unapproachable

   Cette femme est bien farouche.

   This woman is very unapproachable.

4. stubborn, intransigent

   Les Québécois sont farouches au sujet de leur francophonie.

   The Québécois are stubborn about speaking French.

5. (of things) savage, dangerous, fierce
6. (of supporters) staunch

Derived terms

• farouchement
• effaroucher

Further reading

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