galvauder

See also: galvaûder

French

Etymology

Cross between Old French galer (“to enjoy”) and ravauder (“to mend”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡal.vo.de/

• Audio:

  (file)

Verb

galvauder

1. to tarnish, sully, debase, bring into disrepute
2. (informal) to waste; to squander

   Synonym: gâcher

   galvauder les dons qu’on a reçus de la nature ― to squander one's natural gifts

   galvauder son talent ― to waste one's talent

   • 2009 February 4, Claire Gatinois, “Hans Beck, créateur des figurines en plastique Playmobil”, in Le Monde‎^[1], archived from the original on 2009-02-05:

     "Ce personnage [Playmobil] a remplacé le soldat de plomb, révolutionné toute l’industrie du jouet sans la galvauder", explique Jean-Louis Berchet, président de la Fédération française du jouet.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

3. to overuse, render trite
   • 2018 October 1, “Mort de Charles Aznavour : soixante-douze ans de carrière en six chansons et anecdotes”, in Le Monde‎^[2]:

     Parfois, l’usage de l’expression « monstre sacré de la chanson française » est galvaudé. Mais pas dans son cas.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

4. to be lazy, loaf around

   Synonym: traîner

   Il reste là à galvauder.

   He's sittin' there twiddlin' his thumbs.

5. (pronominal) to demean oneself, compromise oneself

Conjugation

Conjugation of galvauder (see also Appendix:French verbs)

infinitive	simple	galvauder
	compound	avoir + past participle
present participle or gerund1	simple	galvaudant /ɡal.vo.dɑ̃/
	compound	ayant + past participle
past participle		galvaudé /ɡal.vo.de/
		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative		je (j’)	tu	il, elle, on	nous	vous	ils, elles
(simple tenses)	present	galvaude /ɡal.vod/	galvaudes /ɡal.vod/	galvaude /ɡal.vod/	galvaudons /ɡal.vo.dɔ̃/	galvaudez /ɡal.vo.de/	galvaudent /ɡal.vod/
	imperfect	galvaudais /ɡal.vo.dɛ/	galvaudais /ɡal.vo.dɛ/	galvaudait /ɡal.vo.dɛ/	galvaudions /ɡal.vo.djɔ̃/	galvaudiez /ɡal.vo.dje/	galvaudaient /ɡal.vo.dɛ/
	past historic2	galvaudai /ɡal.vo.de/	galvaudas /ɡal.vo.da/	galvauda /ɡal.vo.da/	galvaudâmes /ɡal.vo.dam/	galvaudâtes /ɡal.vo.dat/	galvaudèrent /ɡal.vo.dɛʁ/
	future	galvauderai /ɡal.vo.dʁe/	galvauderas /ɡal.vo.dʁa/	galvaudera /ɡal.vo.dʁa/	galvauderons /ɡal.vo.dʁɔ̃/	galvauderez /ɡal.vo.dʁe/	galvauderont /ɡal.vo.dʁɔ̃/
	conditional	galvauderais /ɡal.vo.dʁɛ/	galvauderais /ɡal.vo.dʁɛ/	galvauderait /ɡal.vo.dʁɛ/	galvauderions /ɡal.vo.də.ʁjɔ̃/	galvauderiez /ɡal.vo.də.ʁje/	galvauderaient /ɡal.vo.dʁɛ/
(compound tenses)	present perfect	present indicative of avoir + past participle
	pluperfect	imperfect indicative of avoir + past participle
	past anterior2	past historic of avoir + past participle
	future perfect	future of avoir + past participle
	conditional perfect	conditional of avoir + past participle
subjunctive		que je (j’)	que tu	qu’il, qu’elle	que nous	que vous	qu’ils, qu’elles
(simple tenses)	present	galvaude /ɡal.vod/	galvaudes /ɡal.vod/	galvaude /ɡal.vod/	galvaudions /ɡal.vo.djɔ̃/	galvaudiez /ɡal.vo.dje/	galvaudent /ɡal.vod/
	imperfect2	galvaudasse /ɡal.vo.das/	galvaudasses /ɡal.vo.das/	galvaudât /ɡal.vo.da/	galvaudassions /ɡal.vo.da.sjɔ̃/	galvaudassiez /ɡal.vo.da.sje/	galvaudassent /ɡal.vo.das/
(compound tenses)	past	present subjunctive of avoir + past participle
	pluperfect2	imperfect subjunctive of avoir + past participle
imperative		–	tu	–	nous	vous	–
simple		—	galvaude /ɡal.vod/	—	galvaudons /ɡal.vo.dɔ̃/	galvaudez /ɡal.vo.de/	—
compound		—	simple imperative of avoir + past participle	—	simple imperative of avoir + past participle	simple imperative of avoir + past participle	—
1 The French gerund is usable only with the preposition en.
2 In less formal writing or speech, these tenses may be found to have been replaced in the following way: past historic → present perfect past anterior → pluperfect imperfect subjunctive → present subjunctive pluperfect subjunctive → past subjunctive (Christopher Kendris [1995], Master the Basics: French, pp. 77, 78, 79, 81).

Derived terms

• galvaudé

Further reading

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

Poitevin-Saintongeais

Verb

galvauder

1. to do a job poorly

References

• Jônain, Pierre. Dictionnaire du patois Saintongeais. 1869. Page 201.