acte, m. act, record; — de foi, act or declaration of faith
acteur, m. actor.
action, /. action.
activité, /. activity.
adage, m. adage, proverb, saying; les Adages, title of one of the greatest Latin works of the Renaissance, v^ritten by Erasmus and published in 1500, it contains the quintessence of the wisdom of Greece and Rome.
Adam (maître), Adam Billaut known as the menuisier de NeverSj an original poet in the frank, merry, popular style; his great popularity was however due in great part to the contrast between his training and his ability.
There is said to have been more of the carpenter in the poet than of the poet in the carpenter; he died in 1662.
Adams (John), second president of the United States, elected in 1797 (1739- 1826).
addition, /. addition.
adieu, m. farewell, good-bye, adieu.
adjuger, v. to adjudge, allot, award, turn over (to).
adjurer, v. to adjure, conjure.
admettre, v. to admit, allow.
administration, /. administration, government.
admirable, adj. admirable.
admirablement, adv. admirably.
admirateur, m. admirer.
admiration , /. ad m i r a t i o a .
admirer, v. to admire.
admissible, adj. admissible.
admission, /. admission.
admonester, v. to admonish.
adopter, v. to adopt.
adorable, adj. adorable.
adoration, /. adoration.
adorer, v. to adore.
adosser, v. to lean against, support, back (by); s'— , to put one's back against.
adoucir, v. to soften, smooth, modify, relieve; s' — , relent, become gentle.
Adour, in. river of southern France, rising in the department of Hautes-Pyrénées, and flowing north and west to the Atlantic Ocean near Bayonne.
adresse, /. address, skill, dexterity.
adresser, v. to address, give; s' — , address oneself, be addressed.
Adriatique, adj. and s. (in latter case mer or golfe is understood), Adriatic (the sea lying east of the Italian peninsula).
adroit, -e, adj. adroit, skilful, dexterous.
adultère, m., f. adulterer, adulteress.
advenir, v. to happen, occur, come to, arrive; en — , happen, be the same (defective and little used).
adversaire, m. adversary.
affabilité, /. affability.
affaiblir, v. to enfeeble, weaken; s' — , grow weaker or dimmer, become weaker.
affaiblissement, m. weakening, weakness.
affaire, /. affair, matter, busi-
VOCABULARY
ness; pi. affairs, things, business; faire leurs affaires, to do well in business.
affaisser, v. to sink; s' — , sink, settle down, collapse, give way, weaken.
affamer, v. to starve, famish; affamé, -e, adj. and s.
starving, famished, famished person.
afficher, v. to post up, proclaim, publish, advertise, show publicly.
affilier, v. to affiliate.
affirmer, v. to affirm, state.
affliger, v. to afflict, fret, worry, irritate; s' — , grieve.
affluer, v. to flow, flock, come in great numbers.
affranchir, v. to set free, absolve.
affres,/, pi. pangs, terrors (of death).
affreux, -euse, adj. frightful, dreadful.
affronter, v. to affront, brave.
affût, m. gun-carriage, watch.
afin (de or que) , conj. in order to, in order that.
africain, -e, adj. and s. African (written Africain when s.).
Afrique, /. Africa.
Agde, French town in the department of Hérault, near the Mediterranean.
âge, m. age.
âgé, -e, adj. old, aged.
agenouiller (s'), v. to kneel; agenouillé, -e, adj. kneeling, on the knees.
agent, m. agent.
aggraver, v. to aggravate; s' — , grow worse.
agir, V. to act; s' — de, be a question of.
agitation, /. agitation, commotion, moving.
agiter, v. to agitate, excite, disturb; s' — , be agitated, stir, toss about, be debated.
Agnes, Agnes.
Agnus Dei, dona nobis pacem.
Lamb of God, give us peace (words beginning a Latin prayer of the mass).
agonie, /. death agony.
agréable, adj. agreeable.
agréer, v. to accept, receive kindly.
agréger, v. to agregate; s' — , congregate, be collected.
Agricola (Cneius Julius), Roman general, father-in-law of Tacitus; he achieved the conquest of Great Britain
agricole, adj. agricultural.
agriculteur, m. husbandman, tiller.
agriculture, /. agriculture.
Agrippa (Henri-Corneille), alchemist, philosopher, professor, physician and magician, after having been an adviser of the emperor Charles V and professor in several cities of Europe. He died in poverty at Grenoble; he is the author of a treatise. De Philosophia occulta; he was born in Cologne in i486, and died
in 1533-
aguerrir, v. to inure, train to war.
ah, inter j. ah! oh!
aide, /. aid, help; pi. taxes, excise, court charged with the regulation of disputes regarding the taxes.
VOCABULARY
aider, v. to aid, help, assist; Dieu aidant, with God's help.
aigle, m. eagle (bird); /.
eagle (standard).
Aignan (saint), bishop of Orleans; he defended this town against Attila in 451 (also written Agnan).
aigre, adj. acid, sour, harsh, rough, sharp, shrill, crabbed.
aigrement, adv. acidly, sharp-
aigu, -ë, adj. acute, sharp, pointed, shrill.
Aigues-Mortes, town in the department of Gard, formerly a port on the Mediterranean, now a short distance inland.
aiguiser, v. to sharpen, point (in this word u approximates the English w in pronunciation).
aile, /. wing.
ailleurs, adv. elsewhere, else; d' — , besides.
aimable, adj. kind, agreeable, amiable, pleasant, friendly.
aimer, v. to love, like; — mieux, prefer; s' — , love oneself, love one another.
aîné, -e, adj. and s. elder, eldest, senior, eldest son or daughter.
ainsi, adj. and conj. thus, so, as, as follows, therefore; — que, as, just as, as well as; pour — parler (dire), so to speak; il n'en est pas — , such is not the case; s'il en est — , if such is the case.
air, m. air, appearance; pi.
sky, air.
airain, m. brass, bronze.
aise, /. ease, pleasure; adj.
glad, happy.
aisé, -e, adj. easy, well to do.
aisément, adv. easily.
ajourner, v. to adjourn, put off.
ajouter, v. to add, join; — foi à, give credit to.
alarme, /. alarm; inter j. to arms!
alarmer, v. to alarm; s' — , take alarm.
Albe (due d'). Alba or Alva (Duke of), Spanish general under the emperor Charles V and Philip II, notorious for his cruelty in the Netherlands, where he persecuted the Protestants and others opposed to Spanish rule; he intrigued with the French Catholics against the Protestants (1508-1582).
Albi, small city in the department of Tarn.
Albigeois, m. pi. Albigensians (sect), the name is also given to a district in France (department of Tarn); albigeois, -e, adj. Albigensian; for the Albigensian crusade see Montfort.
Albon (les comtes d'), Albon is a commune in the department of Drome, its counts date from the ninth century, beginning with Guignes 1er.
Albret, name of an illustrious southern family to which Jeanne d' Albret, mother of Henri IV, belonged.
(Albret was formerly a
VOCABULARY
section of Gascony, in the modern department of Landes.)
Alby, there is a village of this name in the 'department of Ilaute-Savoie ; Michelet has confused this with Albi (Tarn).
Alembert (Jean Le Rond d'), celebrated French writer, philosopher and mathematician, a skeptic and one of the founders of the Encyclopedia (1717-1783).
Alençon, principal town in the department of Orne (Normandy); various members of the House of Valois bore the title of Duke or Count of Alençon. Reference in the text is to Jean V, companion in arms of Jeanne Dare (1409-1476).
alerte, adj. alert; /. alarm.
Alet, small village in the department of Aude.
algarade, /. affront, rating, blowing-up, sally.
alignement, m. alignment, row; les alignements de Carnac, the rows of upright druidical stones at Carnac.
alimenter, v. to feed, nourish, keep alive, supply.
Aliscamps, m. pi. an ancient Roman burial ground on the outskirts of Aries; it enjoyed great celebrity during the Middle Ages, but later it was neglected, and the monuments were destroyed; it is said to have been consecrated by Saint Trophimus, a disciple of Saint Paul.
allécher, v. to allure, attract, tempt.
allégorique, adj. allegorical.
Alleluia, m. hallelujah (also written as a French word, alléluia; the word is of Hebrew origin, and signifies Praise God).
Allemagne, /. Germany.
allemand, -e, adj. and s. German (written Allemand when s.).
aller, v. to go, go on, be (of the health, etc.), keep (when used with present participle of another verb); — mal, be badly off, in a bad way; s'en — , go away, be off, clear out.
alliance, /. alliance.
Allier, m. river rising in the department of Lozère, and flowing into the Loire near Nevers; also a department in central France, through which the river flows.
allier, v. to ally; s' — , enter into a confederacy, become an ally; allié, -e, m.,f. ally.
allonger, v. to lengthen.
allumer, v. to light, kindle, light the fire.
allure, /. bearing, manner.
alors, adv. then; d' — , of that time.
alourdir, v. to make heavy or dull; s' — , grow heavy or dull.
Alpes,/, pi. Alps. (Michelet also uses the singular Alpe in speaking of the cathedral in Milan, which is etymologically correct, as the singular (Alp) is used in Celtic for one mountain.)
Alsace, /. Alsace (former
VOCABULARY
province of northeastern France, ceded, with the exception of territory around Belfort, to Germany in
alsacien, -ne, adj. and s.
Alsatian (written Alsacien when s.).
alter ego, another self, other self (Latin).
altérer, v. to alter; s' — , become altered, deteriorate; altéré, -e, altered.
altérer, v. to excite the thirst; altéré, -e, thirsty (for).
alterner, v. to alternate; alterné, -e, alternated, alternate.
altier, -ere, adj. proud, lofty, stately.
amant, m. lover.
amateur, m. amateur, person fond of anything (it was formerly used with a personal object, now old in this sense; a better translation may often be made by supplying a substantive from the context).
amazone, /. Amazon, horsewoman.
ambassadeur, m. ambassador.
ambitieux, -euse, adj. ambitious.
ambition, /. ambition.
ambulant, -e, adj. itinerant.
âme, /. soul, heart, mind, spirit.
amende,/, fine; — honorable, apology, public avowal of a crime (this punishment was abolished in 1791)-
amender, v. to amend; s' — , reform.
amener, v. to lead, bring, draw, bring up, induce.
aménité, /. amenity, charm, grace.
amer, -ère, adj. bitter.
américain, -e, adj. and s.
American (written Américain when s.).
Amérique, /. America.
amertume, /. bitterness.
ami, -e, in.,f. and adj. friend, friendly.
Amiens, former capital of Picard}'-, now principal city of the department of Somme.
amiral, m. admiral.
amitié,/, friendship; de bonne — , friendly, lovingly, as a good friend; un mot d' — , a friendly word; prendre en — , to become fond of, take a liking to.
amnistie, /. amnesty.
amollir, v. to soften; s' — , grow soft, become effeminate.
amour, m. love.
Ampère (André-Marie), celebrated French mathematician and physicist, especially known for his studies in electricity (1775-1836).
amphibie, adj. and m. amphibious, amphibian.
amphithéâtre, m. amphitheatre.
ampleur, /. amplitude, fulness.
ampoule, /. blister, ampulla;
la sainte , the ampulla
(vessel used in anointing the French kings, also written without the hyphen).
Amsterdam, important city and port of Holland.
amusement, m. amusement.
amuser, v. to amuse; s' — ,
VOCABULARY
amuse oneself, be amused, have a good time.
an, m. year.
analogie, /. analogy.
analogue, adj. and s. analogous, analogue.
analyti':[ue, adj. analytical.
anarchie, /. anarchy.
anatomiste, m. anatomist.
ancien, -ne, adj. ancient, former, old.
âne, m. ass; fête de 1' — , a medieval festival similar to the fête des fous.
anéantir, v. to annihilate; s' — , be annihilated, cease to exist.
anéantissement, m. annihilation, abjection, prostration.
ânerie, /. gross ignorance, egregious blunder.
ange, m. angel.
Angers, former capital of Anjou, and now principal city in the department of Maineet-Loire.
angevin, -e, adj. and s. of Anjou, inhabitant of Anjou (written Angevin when s.).
anglais, -e, adj. and s. English, Englishman (written Anglais when s.).
angle, m. angle, corner.
Angleterre, /. England.
anglican, -e, adj. and s. Anglican; Église Anglicane, Church of England.
anglo-gascon, -ne, adj. and s. Anglo-Gascon (written Anglo-Gascon when s.).
anglo-normand, -e, adj. and s.
Anglo-Norman (written Anglo-Normand when s.).
anglo-saxon, -ne, adj. and s.
Anglo-Saxon (written Anglo-Saxon when s.).
angoisse, /. anguish.
Angoulême, former capital of Angoumois, now principal town of the department of Charente; le bâtard d' — , Charles de Valois, duc d'Angoulêmo, natural son of Charles IX; he was a brave soldier under Henri IV and Louis XIII, and has left Mcmoires relating to the reigns of Henri III and Henri IV (i 573-1650).
anguleux, -euse, adj. angular.
animal, m. animal; animal, -e, adj. animal, sensual, carnal.
animaliser (s'), v. to become animalized.
animation, /. animation.
animer, v. to animate, arouse, stir up, excite; s' — , become animated or aroused, arouse oneself, cheer up.
Anjou, m. former province of France, lying north of Poitou and south of Maine ; the House of Anjou was especially strong in the eleventh century under its counts, from it sprung the Plantagenets of England; the province was united to France by Louis XI in 1480. The title due d'— was borne by Henri III before his accession to the throne; be is also referred to in the text as Anjou.
Anne de Bretagne, daughter of François II, duc de Bretagne, wife of Charles VIII (1491) and of Louis XII (1499); she brought Brittany as a dowry to France (1477-1514).
Anne de France, eldest daugh-
ter of Louis XI; she was an energetic and skilful regent during the minority of her young brother, Charles VIII, and was said by Louis XI to have been " la moins folle femme de France"; more usually referred to as Anne de Beaujeu (1462-1522).
année, /. year.
annihilation, /. annihilation.
anniversaire, m. anniversary.
annoncer, v. to announce.
annuel, -le, adj. annual.
annuellement, adv. annually, yearly.
anoblir, v. to ennoble, raise to the peerage.
anse, /. handle (of a bucket, pail, etc.), loop, cove.
Antéchrist, m. Antichrist (imposter, who, according to the Apocalypse, was at some time before the end of the world to come to fill the land with crimes and impiety, and who finally was to be conquered by Christ himself; also written Antéchrist).
antéhistorique, adj. prehistoric (little used, préhistorique is much more common).
antichrétien, -ne, adj. antichristian.
antiféodal, -e, adj. antifeudal (rare).
Antilles (les), /. pi. the West Indies; mer des — , Caribbean Sea.
Antiphysis, /. the reverse or contrary of nature and the source of all evil, according to Rabelais (Latin).
antique, adj. antique, ancient.
antiquité, /. antiquity.
Antoine (saint). Saint Anthony, celebrated anchorite of the Egyptian desert, subjected to many temptations that have become popularized (25i-:?56).
Antoinette (Marie-), daughter of Francis I and Maria Theresa of Austria, wife of Louis XVI and Queen of France, bebeadcd in the Revolution (1755-1793).
antre, m. cavern, den.
Anvers, Antwerp, important city and port of Belgium, on the Scheldt (5 pronounced).
août, in. August.
apaiser, v. to appease; s' — , be calmed, subside, become quiet.
apanager, v. to settle an appanage or estate upon.
Apennins, m. pi. Apennines (mountain chain running the entire length of the Italian peninsula).
apercevoir, v. to perceive, notice; s' — ■ (de), perceive.
aplatir, v. to flatten, render insipid or dull; s' — , become flat.
aplomb, m. perpendicularity, plumb; d' — , perpendicularly, plumb, straight down, right above, directly.
apocalyptique, adj. apocalyptic.
apogée, m. apogee, zenith, acme, height.
apologétique, adj. apologetic.
apostat, -e, adj. and s. apostate (said of one who has renounced his religion; the feminine is little used).
apothéose, /. apotheosis.
apothiquaire, m. apothecary.
apôtre, m. apostle.
apparaître, v. to appear.
appareil, m. apparatus, magnificence, pomp.
apparemment, adv. apparently.
apparence, /. appearance, probability; il n'y a pas d' — de, there is no probability of, one should not.
apparent, -e, adj. apparent.
apparition, /. apparition, appearance.
appartenir, v. to belong.
appauvrir, v. to make poor or poorer, impoverish.
appel, m. call, roll-call, appeal.
appeler, v. to call, call to; en — , appeal; s' — be called, be named; comment t'appelles-tu? what is your name?
appétit, m. appetite.
applaudir, v. to applaud.
applaudissement, vt. applause.
appliquer, v. to apply, bring in place or put (against); s' — , apply.
appointement, m. rule, order; pi. salary.
apporter, v. to bring, carry, bring in place.
apprécier, v. to appreciate.
appréhension, /. apprehension.
apprendre, v. to learn, teach, inform, tell or learn of.
apprentissage, m. apprenticeship.
apprivoiser, v. to tame, make more sociable.
approche, /. approach.
approcher, v. to approach,
bring or put near; s' — (de), approach.
approuver, v. to approve.
appui, m. support, help, backing.
appuyer, v. to support, bear, lean, rest; s' — , lean, rest, rely; — à gauche, bear to the left.
âpre, adj. rough, rugged, harsh, biting.
âprement, adv. harshly, sharply, fiercely.
après, prep, and adv. after, afterwards; d' — , according to, after; le jour d' — . the day after; — que, conj.
after.
après-midi, /. {or m.), afternoon.
âpreté, /. harshness, asperity, roughness.
aqueduc, m. aqueduct.
Aquitaine, /. Aquitania (or Aquitaine), country of ancient Gaul, corresponding roughly to the basin of the Garonne, and one of the great divisions of Roman Gaul; under the Carlovingians it became a duchy, then a kingdom, the territory came under French control during the reign of Charles VII.
arabe, adj. and s. Arab, Arabian (written Arabe when s.).
arabesque, adj. arabesque; /.
pi. arabesques (species of ornament, in mosaic or low relief, for enriching flat surfaces; it consists of fanciful figures of animals and plants).
Aragon, m. district in north-
VOCABULARY
eastern Spain, for a long time an independent kingdom, united to Castile in
aragonais, -e, adj. and s.
Aragonese (written Aragonais when s.).
arbitraire, adj. and m. arbitrary, arbitrariness, despotism.
arbitre, m. arbiter, arbitrator, master.
arborer, v. to hoist.
arbre, m. tree.
arbrisseau, m. young tree, shrub.
arc, m. arch, bow.
arcade, /. arcade; Arcade- Saint-Jean, a gallery in the Hôtel de Ville at Paris.
archange, m. archangel.
arche, /. ark, arch.
archer, m. archer.
archevêché, m. archbishopric, archbishop's residence.
archevêque, m. archbishop.
architecture, /. architecture.
archives, /. pi. archives, records; les Archives Nationales, a large building a short distance north of the Hôtel de Ville in Paris, where the national archives are stored.
Ardennes (les), /. pi. a department of northern France on the Belgian frontier; also the forest of Arden, covering the plateau in the northern part of this department and extending into Belgium (Ardenne is also used in speaking of the forest).
ardent, -e, adj. ardent, burning, fiery, glowing, red-hot.
ardoise, /. slate.
ardoisière, /. slate-quarry.
ar duinn, the deep (Celtic derivation, according to Michelet, of Ardenne; this latter word is more probably derived from the Celtic root ardu-, meaning high land, and applied to the highlands between the Meuse and the Rhine).
arête,/, fish-bone, protruding angle, ridge, crest, edge, angle.
Argens (marquis Jean-Baptiste d'), witty and skeptical French writer, a protege of Frederick the Great, whose chamberlain he was for a long time; his best known work is the Lettres juives (1704-1771).
argent, m. silver, money.
argument, m. argument.
aride, adj. arid, dry, sterile.
aridité, /. aridity, dryness, drought.
Ariège, /. river of southern France, rising in the Pyrenees and flowing into the upper Garonne; also the department through which the river passes.
Arioste, Ariosto (Ludovico), the celebrated poet of the Italian Renaissance, author of Orlando furioso (1474-
aristocrate, adj. and s. aristocratic, aristocrat.
Aries, city on the Rhone (in the department of Bouches-du- Rhone).
Armada, /. Armada, name given to the gigantic fleet sent by Philip II of Spain
VOCABULARY
against England in 1588, it was largely destroyed by a tempest.
Armagnac, m. a former district of Gascony, lying in the department of Gers; also an inhabitant of this district; in the plural the name was applied to the party of the Due d'Orléans, of which one of the chiefs was a Comte d'Armagnac; during the reigns of Charles VI and Charles VII, France was torn by the conflicts of the Armagnacs with the Burgundians, the struggle did not end until 1435.
(The word may also be used adjectively: armagnac).
arme, /. arm, firearm, weapon, coat of arms (in pL); chevalier d'armes, knight at arms.
armée, /. army.
armement, m. armament, equipment.
armer, v. to arm, fit dut with arms, equip; s' — , equip or arm oneself, take up arms.
armoire, /. cupboard, press, closet.
armure, /. armor.
armurier, m. armorer, gunsmith.
Arnauld (Antoine), noted theologian and. defender of the Jansenists (1612-1694).
Arnold (Benedict), American general and traitor in the Revolutionary War (1741- 1801).
aromatique, adj. aromatic, fragrant, spicy.
arquebusier, m. arquebusier, musketeer.
arrachement, m. tearing or rooting up, clearing away, wrenching away; mot d' — , word thai tears one away from the old ideas.
arracher, v. to snatch, wrest from, tear off, pull out or off, gouge out.
arranger, v. to arrange; s' — , be arranged, make arrangements, manage as one can, come to an understanding.
Arras, town in the department of Pas-de -Calais.
arrestation, /. arrest.
arrêt, m. stop, pause, decision, sentence.
arrêter, v. to arrest, stop, keep back, suppress, check; s' — , stop.
arrière, adv. and m. back, rear; en — de, back of, back from, behind.
arrière-boutique, /. backshop.
arriérer, v. to put off, throw behindhand; arriéré, -e, behindhand, behind the times.
arrière-vassal, m. inferior vassal, vassal of a vassal.
arrivée, /. arrival.
arriver, v. to arrive, succeed, happen.
arrondir, v. to round, round out; s' — , become round, be rounded out.
arrondissement, m. rounding, roundness, district, ward, arrondissement.
Arroux, m. a river rising in the department of Côted'Or, and flowing southward into the Loire.
VOCABULARY
arsenal, m. arsenal; l'Arsenal, the Arsenal at Paris, built in the fifteenth century, destroyed by an explosion in 1563, then rebuilt; the greater part of the building had been torn down in 1806, the library of the same name is a portion of the old building.
art, m. art, profession, craft.
Arthur, legendary king of Wales and the central figure of the legends of the Round Table.
article, m. article.
articulation, /. articulation, joint.
articuler, v. to articulate, pronounce.
artificiel, -le, adj. artificial.
artillerie, /. artillery.
artisan, m. artisan, craftsman, artificer, mechanic.
artiste, m.,/. artist.
Artois, m. former province of northern France, united to France by Louis XIV in 1678; comte d' — , title of Charles X before he came to the throne, during the Revolution he wsls at the head of the nobles who had emigrated; he was king of France from 1824 to 1830, and was the brother of Louis XVI and Louis XVIII (1757-1836).
Arva, beata petamus arva, divites et insulas, we seek the blessed fields and the fertile islands (Latin).
ascendant, m. ascendency, influence.
ascension, /. ascension, ascent; jour de l'Ascension,
Ascension-day (Thursday, ten days after Pentecost or sixty days after Easter).
asiatique, adj. Asiatic.
Asie, /. Asia.
asile, m. asylum, shelter, refuge.
aspect, m. aspect, appearance, sight.
asphyxie, /. asphyxia, suffocation.
aspic, m. asp, aspic, spikenard, spike-lavender (an aromatic plant, also its oil).
aspirer, v. to aspire.
assaillir, v. to assail, assault; assaillant, m. assailant.
assassin, m. assassin, murderer.
assassinat, m. assassination.
assassiner, v. to assassinate, murder.
assaut, m. assault, attack, onslaught.
assemblage, m. assemblage, union, mixture.
assemblée, /. assemby, meeting; Assemblée nationale, a name taken by the States General on June 7, 1789, and changed to Assemblée constituante on June 23,
assembler, v. to assemble, convoke, bring together, gather, collect; s' — , meet.
asseoir, v. to seat; s' — , sit, sit down, be seated, become settled.
assesseur, m. assessor, assistant judge
assez, adv. enough, sufficient, suf&ciently, rather.
assiéger, v. to besiege; assiégeant, m. besieger; assiégé, m. one besieged.
VOCABULARY
assiette, /. plate, site, foothold, temper, stable position, state, foundation.
assigner, v. to assign, summon, arrange, give.
assimiler, v. to assimilate, liken; s' — , assimilate, be assimilated.
assister, v. to be present, attend, assist; assistant, m.
person present, by-stander.
associer, v. to associate, make a partner; s' — , take as a partner, make a partner of, be associated with, share.
assommer, v. to fell, knock on the head, stun.
assommeur, m. slaughterer, feller, manslayer.
assoupir, v. to make drowsy, lull; s' — , grow drowsy, be deadened, be toned down; assoupi, -e, lulled, drowsy, died down.
assouplir, v. to make supple; s' — , laecome supple, be softened.
assurance, /. assurance.
assurer, v. to assure, assert; s' — , assure oneself, make sure.
astronome, m. astronomer.
Astiuries (les),/, pi. the Asturias, former province of northern Spain, largely covered by the western continuation of the Pyrenees.
atelier, m. workshop, studio.
Athanase (saint), Saint Athanasius, celebrated patriarch of Alexandria and father of the church, a successful opponent of the Avian heresy (about 298-373).
athée, m. atheist.
atmosphère, /. atmosphere.
atroce, adj. atrocious, cruel.
atrocité, /. atrocity.
attachement, m. attachment.
attacher, v. to attach, fasten, fix, bind, tie; s' — , attach oneself, be or become attached.
attaquable, adj. assailable.
attaque, /. attack.
attaquer, v. to attack; s' — à, throw oneself on, attack.
atteindre, v. to attain, arrive at, reach, hit, attack, obtain; atteint, -e, attacked, diseased, affected.
atteinte, /. touch, reach, stroke, damage, injury, harm.
attelage, w. team.
atteler, v. to harness.
attenant, -e, adj. contiguous, adjoining, next.
attendre, v. to await, wait for, expect; s' — à, expect.
attendrir, v. to make tender, move, soften, affect, touch; s' — , be moved or affected, grow tender.
attendrissement, m. tenderness, feeling, compassion, pity.
attentat, m. criminal attempt, assault.
attente, /. waiting, wait, expectation.
attentif, -ive, adj. attentive.
attention, /. attention.
atténuer, v. to attenuate, waste, weaken, lessen, palliate.
attester, v. to attest, certify, testify to, call to witness.
Attigny, village in the departmeiit of /rdennes, a former
VOCABULARY
residence of the French kings.
Mtila, king of the Huns in 434; after conquering the Eastern and \\ estern Emperors of Rome, he ravaged Gaul, he was prevented from destroying Paris by Saint Genevieve, and w^as finally defeated near Chalons in 451; he died on the Danube
in 453-
Attin, a Picard in the employ of the due d'Aumale; he was one of the murderers of Coligny.
attirer, v. to attract, draw, draw in, get.
attitude, /. attitude.
attraction,/ attraction.
attrait, m. attraction, charm.
attraper, v. to catch.
attribuer, v. to attribute.
attrister, v. to sadden, make sad, grieve.
au (aux)=à le (à les).
aubépine, /. hawthorn.
aucun, -e, pr. and adj. no one, none, no, any; ne . . . — , no, none.
audace, /. audacity.
audacieux, -euse, adj. audacious.
au-dessous, see dessous.
au-dessus, see dessus.
au-devant, see devant.
auditeur, m. auditor.
Auger (Edmond), Jesuit missionary and confessor of Henri III; his writings are of little value (1515-
1591)augmenter, v. to increase.
Auguste, Augustus (Caesar
Octavius), grand-nephew
and heir of Julius Csesar, became Emperor by his victory over Antony at Actium in 31 b.c. He was the first of the Roman emperors, and his reign was the most brilliant epoch of Roman history; he was worshipped as a god after hisdeath(63 b.c. to 14 a. d.),
Augustin (saint), Saint Augustine, the most celebrated of the Latin church fathers; he was bishop of Hippone, an ancient town of Numidia, and was the author of the City of God, Confessions, and a treatise on Grace (354-430).
augustin, -e, adj. and s. Augustine, Augustine or white friar (tradition says that the order was founded in 388; it really began to be known, however, only in the twelfth century; frcre ermite de Saint-Augustin, Augustine bernnt; there was also a fortress south of Orleans at the time of the siege called les Augustins).
Augustodunum, Roman name of Autun.
aujourd'hui, adv. to-day.
Aumale, a village in the department of Seine -Inférieure; the tit'e due d' — ■ has been borne by several members of the nobility; the reference in the text is to the duke Claude d'Aumale, one of the chiefs of the Catholic League during the wars against Protestantism in the sixteenth century. He de-
VOCABULARY
fended Paris against Henri IV, became later an ally of the Spaniards and died in exile at Brussels (1554- 1631).
aumônier, w. chaplain, almoner.
auparavant, adv. before, previously, first.
auprès (de), prep, near, with, compared with.
auquel (auxquels, etc.)=à lequel (à lesquels, etc.).
Auray, town in the department of Morbihan, scene of a French defeat in the Hundred Years' Wslt (1364, when Du Guesclin was made prisoner); rivière d' — , a short river flowing into the Atlantic south of Auray.
aurore, /. dawn.
aussi, adv. and conj. also, so, as, therefore; tout — bien, just as well; — bien que, as well as.
aussitôt, adv. straightway, at once; — que, conj. as soon as.
austère, adj. austere.
autant, adv. as much, as many, as well, likewise; d' — plus (mieux), so much the more (better).
autel, m. altar.
auteur, m. author.
automne, m. (or/.), autumn.
autorisation, /. authorization, permission.
autoriser, v. to authorize.
autorité, /. authority.
autour, adv. and prep, (with de), around, about.
autre, adj. other, else, different; vous autres, the rest
of you, you; tout — que, quite different from the one that.
autrefois, adv. formerly.
autrement, adv. otherwise, in a different way, to a higher degree.
Autriche, /. Austria.
autrichien, -ne, adj. and s.
Austrian (written Autrichien when 5.).
Autun, town in the department of Saone-et -Loire.
Auvergne, /. Auvergne, former province in central France, united to France in 1610.
Auxerre, town in the department of Yonne {x^c in pronunciation).
auxiliaire, m. auxiliary.
avachir (s'), v. to grow flat and flabby, get out of shape, flag.
avalanche, /. avalanche.
avaler, v. to swallow.
avance, /. advance; d' — , in advance.
avancer, v. to advance; s' — , advance; avancé, -e, advanced, outlying, outer.
avant, prep., adv. and m. before, deeply, forward part; en — , forward, in front, in advance; — de, before; blesser si — en l'esprit, to produce such an effect on the mind; — que, conj.
before.
avantage, m. advantage.
avant-garde,/, vanguard, van.
avant-poste, m. outpost, advance-post.
avant-train, m. fore-carriage.
Ave, Ave (invocation to the Virgin Mary; also written
VOCABULARY
avé, then reference may be to the beads of the chaplet at each of which an ave is said).
avec, prep. with.
avènement, m. accession, advent.
avenir, v. to happen, occur; m. future.
aventure, /. adventure, chance, uncertainty.
aventureux, -euse, adj. adventurous, venturesome.
aventurier, m. adventurer.
avenue, /. avenue.
avertir, v. to warn, give notice.
avertissement, m. warning.
avertisseur, m. admonitor, admonisher, informer, adviser.
aveu, m. avowal, confession.
aveugle, adj. blind.
Aveyron, m. department in southern France, also the river which flows through this department into the Tarn.
avide, adj. greedy, covetous, eager, voracious.
avidité, /. avidity, covetousness, gjreediness, eagerness.
Avignon, city on the Rhone in the department of Vaucluse.
avis, m. opinion, warning, advice.
aviser, v, to warn, advise, apprise, espy, catch sight of, consider; s' — , take into one's head, think (of); — bien à ce que vous ferez, look well at what you do; avisé, -e, wary, discreet, cautious.
avocat, m. lawyer, attorney.
avoir, v. to have, take (care or place); often used with abstract noun instead of corresponding verb; — faim, peur, soif, be hungry, afraid, thirsty; il y a, there is, there are, ago; qu'avez-vous, what is the matter with you?; qu'estce qu'il a, what is the matter with him?; qu'y a-t-il (qu'est-ce qu'il y a), what is the matter?; je n'ai rien, nothing is the matter with me; — beau (with infinitive), in vain.
avortement, m. abortion.
avouer, v. to acknowledge, confess.
avril, m. April.
axe, m. axis, axle.
A3nnon, Prince of the Ardennes and father of the four heroes of chivalry (les quatre fils — ); these four sons performed, according to the Old French epics, great feats of arms under Charlemagne, and their legend is still popular in France (their names wei^e:
Renaud, Guiscard, Alard (or Adelard) and Richard); they are often represented one behind the other on the horse Bayard; many traces of them still remain in the valley of the Meuse in the department of Ardennes.
Azincourt, Agincourt, a small village in the department of Pas-de-Calais; the French army was defeated here in
VOCABULARY
Babel, name of the famous tower which, according to the Bible, the sons of Noah wished to raise to heaven; their efforts were prevented by God's sending a confusion of languages, hence the origin of the meaning confusion.
Babeuf (François-Emile, called Gracchus), French demagogue; he conspired with other Jacobins against the Directoire, and was condemned to death. He committed suicide before mounting the scaffold (1760-1797).
bacchanale, /. revel, orgy; pi. bacchanalia.
bacchuber, m. sword dance (a Gascon dialect word).
bachelier, m. bachelor (of a university).
bagne, m. convict-prison.
Bagnères, there are two towns of this name in the
Pyrenees : de - Bigorre
(department of Hautes- Pyrénées) and de-Lu-
chon (department of Haute- Garonne); when no qualifier is used, Bagnères-de- Bigorre is meant.
bague, /. ring.
baie, /. bay.
bailli, m. bailiff.
bailliage, m. jurisdiction, bailiwick, bailiff's court.
bain, m. bath.
baïonnette, /. bayonet.
baiser, v. to kiss; 7n. kiss.
baisser, v. to lower, sink.
Baize, /. Baize (more usually written Baïse), a small river of southern France, flowing through the department of Gers into the Garonne.
balance,/, balance, scales.
balancer, v. to balance, swing, brandish.
balbutier, v. to stammer.
balcon, m. balcony.
Bale, Bale or Basel, Swiss city on the Rhine.
ballade, /. ballad.
Ballanche (Pierre -Simon), a mystic writer born at Lyons, author of essays in which he defended the belief in the return to life after death (1776-1847).
ballant, -e, adj. swinging, waving.
balle,/, ball, bullet.
ballon, m. balloon (also applied to the summits of the Vosges).
Baltique, /. Baltic Sea.
Balue (cardinal Jean de La), born near Poitiers, minister of Louis XI, and then confined by him in an iron cage (from 1469 to 1480) for having plotted with Charles le Téméraire, Duke of Burgundy, against the French king (1421-1491).
banc, m. bench, seat, bank.
bancroche, adj. bandy-legged, crooked.
bande, /. band, strip.
bander, v. to bandage, bend (a bow).
banlieue, /. outskirts, suburbs.
bannière, /. banner.
bannir, v. to banish; banni, m. exile, outlaw.
VOCABULARY
banqueroute, /. bankruptcy.
banquier, m. banker.
baptême, m. baptism.
baptiser, v. to baptize, christen.
Bar (comte de), one of the titles of René d'Anjou was duc not comte de Bar. The duchy of Bar was formerly a district lying between Champagne and Lorraine.
barbare, adj. and s. barbarous, barbaric, savage, barbarian.
barbarement, adv. barbarously.
barbaresque, adj. and s. Berber, inhabitant of the Barbary States (name given formerly to the countries of northern Africa from Tripoli to Morocco); les (Etats) Barbaresques, the Barbary States.
barbarie, /. barbarity, barbarism (also used figuratively for a barbaric people).
barbe, /. beard; la Barbe bleue, Bluebeard, title of a story by Perrault, the greatest of the French writers of fairy stories (1628-1703^. Bluebeard is a monster with a blue beard, who has already killed six wives, and is about to kill the seventh when she is rescued and he is himself killed by her brothers. The story was inspired by the atrocities of Gilles de Retz.
barbier, m. barber (old word, he was formerly also a surgeon).
Barcelone, Barcelona, large city and port on the northeastern coast of Spain.
Barcelonnette, village in the department of Basses- Alpes.
Bareges, village in the department of Hautes-Pyrénées.
baril, m. barrel, cask.
barioler, v. to variegate, streak.
Barnave (Joseph), celebrated orator of the Constituent Assembly in the French Revolution; born at Grenoble in 1761 and beheaded in 1793.
baron, -ne, ni.,f. baron, baroness.
barque, /. bark.
barre, /. bar; toucher — , to go into camp and leave soon after, pause a moment.
barreau, m. small bar, legal profession, bench reserved for the lawyers.
barrer, v. to bar.
barrière, /. barrier, inclosure, city wall, bulwark, fence, railing.
Barry (Jeanne Bécu, comtesse du), notorious mistress of Louis XV, beheaded during the Reign of Terror (17 43-1793).
Bart (Jean), celebrated sailor, born at Dunkirk, distinguished himself as a privateersman in the war against the Dutch; for his bravery and brilliant exploits he was ennobled by Louis XIV, and made commodore (1650-1702).
VOCABULARY
bas, -se, adj., adv. and m. low, lower, bottom, vulgar, abject, in a low tone, down; en — , below, down stairs;
là , yonder, over there;
chapeau — , hat off.
basalte, m. basalt (dark volcanic rock).
basaltique, adj. basaltic.
base, /. base, basis.
basilique, /. basilica.
Basoche (la),/, the Basoche, a corporation of law-clerks of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, known especially for having acted farces and other plays.
basque, adj. and s. Basque (the Basques are an ancient race of unknown origin, living on both slopes of the western Pyrenees; written Basque when s.).
basse-cour, /. poultry-yard, inner court.
bassesse,/, baseness, vileness, servileness, meanness.
bassin, m. basin.
bastard, old spelling of bâtard.
bastille, /. fort, stronghold, prison; la Bastille, the Bastille of Paris (built between 1370 and 1382).
bastion, m. bastion (portion of a fortification projecting outwards and having four sides, of which the outer two form an acute angle).
bataille,/, battle.
batailler, v. to battle, fight.
batailleur, -euse, adj. and m. disputatious, fond of fighting, fighting, fighter.
bataillon, m. battalion.
bâtard, -e, adj. and s. bastard.
bateau, m. boat.
bâtiment, m. building.
bâtir, V. to build.
bâton, m. stick, staff, club.
bâtonner, v. to cane, whip.
battant, m. leaf (of a folding door); ouvrir à deux battants, to throw wide open.
batterie, /. battery, action.
battre, v. to beat, coin; se — , fight.
Batz (île de),/, a small island in the English channel off the coast of the department of Finistère.
baudrier, m. shoulder-belt.
Baudricourt (Robert de), lord of Vaucouleurs; he took Jeanne Dare at her request to Charles VII (1429).
Bauffremont, name borne by an old aristocratic family originating in Lorraine; allusion is made in the text to Claude -Charles- Roger de — , he became bishop of Troyes in 1562 (died in 1593).
baiune, m. balm, balsam.
Baux (les), now a hamlet,. it was formerly a powerful county in Provence (department of Bouches-du- Rhone); the name was also borne by one of the oldest families of Provence, beginning with Hugues, baron de Baux (eleventh century); the last male heir was Raymond IV de Baux, prince of Orange, who died about 1393.
bavardage, m. babbling, prattling, absurdity.
baver, v. to drivel. ■ Bavière, /. Bavaria (one of
VOCABULARY
the southern states of the modern German Empire).
Bayard (Pierre Terrail, seigneur de), illustrious French soldier, who covered himself with glory while fighting in the wars of Charles VIII, Louis XII and François 1er. On account of his bravery and generosity he was called le chevalier sans peur et sans reproche (about 1473-1524).
Bayle (Pierre), author of a Dictionnaire historique, of which the skepticism announces the philosophy of Voltaire and the Encyclopedists (1647-1706).
bazvalan, m. a representative of a prospective Breton husband, who presented the offer of marriage; he usually was a tailor (Michelet).
béant, -e, adj. gaping, openmouthed, wide-open.
Béarn, m. Béarn, former district of southwestern France (belonging to the kingdom of Navarre), it was annexed to France in 1620.
béarnais, -e, adj. and s. of Béarn, Béarnais, inhabitant of Béarn (written Béarnais when 5.).
beau (bel before vowels), belle, adj. and m. beautiful, fair, handsome, fine; avoir — , see avoir; en leurs belles années, in their prime.
Beaucaire, town on the Rhone in the department of Gard.
Beauce, /. former district of France embracing the territory around Chartres (department of Eure-et-Loir).
beaucoup, adv. much, many,
very much. beau-frère, m. brother-in-law.
Beaugency, town in the department of Loiret.
Beaumarchais (Pierre -Augustin Caron de), brilliant author of comedies full of movement and gaiety; the most noted are the Barbier de Seville and the Mariage de Figaro (1732-1799).
Beaune, town in the department of Cote-d'Or.
Beaurevoir, commune in the department of Aisne; its castle, in which Jeanne Dare was confined by the English, has disappeared.
beauté, /. beauty.
Beauvais, small city in the department of Oise; it is noted for its cathedral, and is the seat of an important and ancient bishopric; there was also a tutor of Henri IV of this name, killed in the massacre of Saint Bartholomew.
Beauvau, name borne by an old and aristocratic family originating in Anjou; Charles -Juste de — , Marshall of France, was the most famous representative (1720-1793).
bêche, /. spade.
Behme, a German murderer of Coligny, in the service of Henri de Guise.
beige, adj. and s. Belgian (written Beige when s.).
Belgique, /. Belgium.
bénédiction, /. benediction.
bénignement, adv. benignly.
bénin, -igne, adj. benign,
VOCABULARY
indulgent, kind (even to weakness).
bénir, v. to bless.
bénit, -e, adj. blessed, consecrated, holy.
Béranger (Pierre -Jean de), celebrated and popular chansonnier (writer of songs or ballads), the first to raise this genre to the height of poetry (1780-
berceau, m. cradle.
bercer, v. to rock, lull.
béret, m. cap (kind of tam-o'shanter).
berger, m. shepherd.
Bergerac, southern French town in the department of Dordogne.
bergerette,/. young shepherdess, young country lass.
Bernard (saint), one of the strongest representatives of militant Christianity, an opponent of Abailard; he preached the second crusade, and wrote numerous letters and treatises on theology (1091-1153).
Bernardin de Saint - Pierre (Jacques - Henri) , author and naturalist; his works were very important in bringing back the public to interest in nature, author of Paul et Virginie, Études de la Nature, etc. (1737-1814).
Berry, m. former French province united to France in II 00.
Besançon, city in the department of Doubs, it was the former capital of Franche- Comté.
Besenval (le baron Pierre-
Victor de), a Swiss ofiScer in the French army; he has left some interesting Mémoires (1722-1791).
Besly (Jean), noted French lawyer and historian (1572- 1644).
besoin, w. need, necessity, needs; au — , in case of need.
bétail (bestiaux, pL), m.
cattle; petit — , small animals.
bête, /. beast, animal; la Bête, used in the Bible for the Antichrist.
Bèze (Théodore de), a French Protestant leader and writer, author of an Ecclesiastical History of the Reformed Churches (1519-1605).
Bible,/. Bible.
bibliothèque,/, library, bookcase; la Bibliothèque bleue, a collection of books containing popularized Old French legends.
biblique, adj. Biblical.
Bibracte, old Gallic capital of the Aedui; it lay on the hill now called Mont Beuvray, near Autun (department of Saone-et-Loire).
Bichat (Marie -François-Xavier), celebrated anatomist, author of General Anatomy (1771-1802).
bien, adv. and m. well, very, very much, much, quite, many, indeed; m. good, goods, property; — que, conj. although (in the sense of many or much bien is followed by de and the article); tant — que mal, more or less well.
VOCABULARY
bienfait, m. benefit, favor.
bienfaiteur, m. benefactor.
bientôt, adv. soon.
bienveillance, /. benevolence, good-will.
biffer, v. to erase, strike out.
Bigorre, m. former country of France, of which the capital was Tarbes (department of Hautes-Pyrénées).
bilieux, -euse, adj. bilious.
bill, m. bill (parliamentary).
billet, m. note.
Biron (Armand de Gontaut, baron de), Marshall of France, and a brave supporter of the cause of Henri IV (1524-1592).
Biscaye,/. Biscay, province of northern Spain, the capital is Bilbao.
bitume, m. bitumen (an inflammable mineral).
bizarre, adj. bizarre, odd, strange, peculiar.
bizarrement, adv. oddly.
blafard, -e, adj. palish, wan, dull.
blâmer, v. to blame.
blanc, -anche, adj. and s.
white; en — , blank.
blanchâtre, adj. whitish.
blanchisseuse, /. washerwoman, laundress.
blasphème, m. blasphemy.
blasphémer, v. to blaspheme.
blé, m. wheat, grain.
blême, adj. pale, wan, pallid.
blesser, v. to wound, hurt, injure; — si avant dans l'esprit, shock so; blessé, -e, adj. and s. wounded, wounded person.
blessure, /. wound.
bleu, -e, adj. blue; les bleus, during the French Revo-
lution this name was given to the republican soldiers, because of the blue coats; the blancs, on the other hand, were the defenders of the white flag of the royalists (the term originated among the Vendéens) .
bloc, m. block.
Blois, city on the Loire in the department of Loir-et- Cher, its lords bore the title of count; les — , Michelet alludes to the long struggle between Charles, comte de — , who married the niece of the duke of Brittany, and the count of Montfort for the duchy of Brittany; Charles was killed at the battle of Auray in 1364. In this battle for supremacy in Brittany, Charles had the support of the French, Montfort that of the English, the latter were victorious.
blond, -e, adj. blond, fair, light.
blottir (se), v. to crouch, lie close to the ground; blotti, -e, crouching, cowering, huddled.
boa, m. boa.
Bocage (le), m. the name of two small districts of France: le — vendéen lies northwest of Poitou, this was the scene of the war of the Vendée during the French Revolution; le — normand lies in the departments of Calvados and Orne.
bœuf, m. ox, beef.
VOCABULARY
Bohême, /. Bohemia (the northwestern division of Austria).
Boileau (or Boileau-Despréaux, Nicolas), celebrated French critic and poet (1636-17 1 1).
boire, v. to drink.
bois, m. wood.
boisé, -e, adj. wooded, woody.
boiserie, /. wainscoting.
boiteux, -euse, adj. lame, limping, not in harmony or alike, not straight.
Bolg, m. warrior (a Celtic word); its derivative Eolges was at times used to designate the Belgse, inhabitants of ancient Belgian Gaul)..
Bologne, Bologna, city of northern Italy; Jean de — , Giovanni di Bologna, Flemish sculptor born at Douai, but lived in Florence at the court of the Medici (1524- 1608).
bon, -ne, adj. good, kind, pleasant, agreeable.
Bonaparte (Napoléon), see Napoléon.
Bonchamp (marquis Charles de), general of the Vendéens in the French Revolution; when mortally wounded he learned that his party wished to massacre five thousand republican prisoners at Saint- Florent, his dying words were : " Grâce aux prisonniers, Bonchamp r ordonne." His command was carried out. David d'Angers, the sculptor, has erected to his memory the statue:
Bonchamp mourant (1759-
bondir, v. to bound, leap, jump.
bonheur, m. happiness, good fortune.
bonhomme, m. good-natured old fellow, worthy old codger, old fellow, fellow.
Boniface VIII, pope from 1294 to 1303, noted for his quarrels with Philippe le Bel; the allusion in the text is to the insult offered the pope by one of the French king's envoys at Anagni in 1303.
bonnet, m. cap.
bonté, /. goodness, kindness.
bord, m. edge, border, brink, side, bank, shore, brim, rail, ship-board; sur son — , on board his ship; vaisseau de haut —, warship with several decks.
Bordeaux, former capital of Guyenne, now an important commercial city on the Garonne (department of Gironde).
bordelais, -e, adj. and s. of Bordeaux, inhabitant of Bordeaux (written Bordelais when 5.).
border, m. border (borrowed from the English-Scottish border, not a French word).
border, v. to border.
Borgia, name of a notorious Italian family of Spanish origin, including: Alexander VI (pope from 1492 to 1503); the cardinal Caesar, son of the pope (died 1507), a cunning diplomatist and debauched
VOCABULARY
criminal; Lucrezia (Lucretia), sister of Caesar, said to have been guilty of all crimes, though she, as well as the pope, protected the arts and sciences of the Renaissance (1480-1519).
borne, /. .limit, mile-stone, boundary.
lîorner, v. to limit, restrict; borne, -e, limited, shallow, narrow, restricted.
Bossuet (Jacques-Bénigne), celebrated preacher, bishop and orator (1627-1704).
bouche, /. mouth.
bouchée, /. mouthful.
boucher, m. butcher.
boucherie,/, butchery, butcher's shop.
boue, /. mud.
bouffon, m. buffoon.
bouger, v. to move, budge.
bouillir, v. to boil; bouillant, -e, boiling, fiery, hotheaded.
boulanger, m. baker.
boulet, m. cannon-ball, ball.
boulevard, m. bulwark, boulevard.
bouleversement, m. overthrow, commotion, upheaval.
bouleverser, v. to upset, overthrow, agitate, throw into a panic.
Boulogne (-sur-mer), city on the English Channel, in the department of Pas-de-Calais (there is also siur-
Seine, a city on the Seine, a short distance below Paris).
Bourbon, name borne by the old royal family, descended from the sixth son of Saint-
Louis; Henri IV was the first Bourbon king.
Bourbonnais (le), m. former French province in central France, united to France in 1 53 1 by the confiscation of the estates of the High Constable de Bourbon.
bourde, /. humbug, fib.
botirg, m. town, market-town.
Bourg, town in the department of Ain (pronounced
Bourk), also called en-
Bresse, because of the district in which it lies.
bourgeois, -e, adj. and s.
bourgeois, member of the middle class, citizen.
Bourges, former capital of Berry, now principal city in the department of Cher.
Bourgogne, /. Burgundy; at the time of the Merovingians it was an independent kingdom, then a duchy, which was very powerful in the fifteenth century and the chief opponent of the French kings; under Louis XI it was united to France (1477). The house of Bourgogne was very powerful, especially the second branch issuing from the king Jean le Bon, and inchided the dukes Philippe le Hardi, Jean sans Peur, Philippe le Bon, and Charles le Téméraire; the family became extinct with the last-named in 1477.
Jean sans Peur was assassinated by the followers of Charles VII in 1419. The title of due de — was borne also by the grandson of
VOCABULARY
Louis XIV (who was also father of Louis XV); porte de — , name of one of the gates at Orleans.
bourguignon, -ne, adj. and s.
Burgundian (written Bourguignon when s.).
bourreau, m. executioner.
boursoufler, v. to bloat; se — , become bloated or puffed
bout, m. end; venir a — de, to succeed in.
boutique, /. shop.
boutiquier, -ère, m., f. shopkeeper, tradesman, tradeswoman.
boutonnier, m. button-maker.
bouvier, m. cowherd.
Bouvines, village in the department of Nord, where Philippe-Auguste by the aid of the communes defeated the German Emperor Otto IV in 1 2 14.
braise, /. embers, live coals.
branche, /. branch.
brandiller, v. to swing.
branle, m. swing, tossing; se mettre en — , to begin to ring (of a bell).
branler, v. to shake, waver.
Brantôme (Pierre de Bourdelles, abbé et seigneur de), a clever, unscrupulous courtier and author; he depicted the good qualities and vices of his contemporaries in the Vie des Grands Capitaines and the Dames galantes (1535-1614).
bras, m. arm.
brasseur, m. brewer.
bravade, /. bravado; jouer la — des Sarrasins, to act pieces in which the Sara-
cens are braved and affronted.
brave, adj. brave, worthy, good, kind.
bravement, adv. bravely, gallantly.
braver, v. to brave, defy.
bravoure, /. bravery.
brebis, /. sheep.
bref, -eve, adj. and adv. brief, short, in short.
Bresse, /. former district of France, embracing the territory around Bourg, united to France in 1601.
Brest, principal military port of France, the military school (on the ship Borda) is also here, it is in the department of Finistère.
Bretagne, /. Brittany, former province of France, for a long time an independent duchy; it was united to France by the marriage of Aime de — and Charles VIII in 1491, but not definitely annexed until
breton, -ne, adj. and s. Breton (written Breton when s.).
bretonnant, -e, adj. of Low Brittany (used only in Bretagne bretonnante and Breton — ; Low Brittany is that part of Brittany where the Celtic dialect is spoken).
breuvage, m. draught, drink.
bric-à-brac, m. bric-à-brac, odds and ends, frippery, trumpery.
Briconnet (Guillaume), bishop of Meaux, a liberal spirit involved in the Protestant Reform (1470-1534).
VOCABULARY
bride,/, bridle; — abattue, at
full speed.
brièvement, adv. briefly.
brigand, m. brigand, robber, ruffian (also used adjectively).
brigandage, vi. robbery.
briller, v. to shine; brillant, -e, shining, brilliant.
brique, /. brick.
Briquemaut, Protestant gentleman, hanged at the age of seventy (1572) before Charles IX and Catherine de Mrdicis; he had been an able diplomate and a brave soldier.
briser, v. to break, crush, break down, shatter; se — , be broken, break.
Brisson (Earnabe), French magistrate; he vv^as a president of the Catholic League, later hanged by it (1531-
Brive-la-Gaillarde, small city in the department of Corrèze.
Broceliande, vast forest of Brittany (now called forest of Paimpont) given in the Arthurian poems as the home of the enchanter ^Merlin (in the department of Ille-et -Vilaine ; also written Broceliande).
bronze, m. bronze.
brouillard, m. fog, mist.
brouiller, v. to mix up, snarl, complicate, confuse, embroil, set at variance.
broussaille, /. underbrush, brush, clump of briars.
Bruges, town in western Belgium, a few miles from the North Sea.
bruire, v. to nestle, roar; bruyant, -e, noisy.
bruit, m. noise, report, sound.
brûler, v. to burn, scorch, sear, tan.
brume,/, mist, haze.
brim, -e, adj. brown, dark.
brusque, adj. blunt, brusk, abrupt, sharp.
brusquement, adv. bruskly, bluntly, rudely, quickly.
brusquerie, /. bluntness, roughness, abruptness.
brut, -e, adj. raw, rough, unpolished, coarse.
brutal, -e, adj. and s. brutal, brutal person.
brutalité, / brutality.
bruyant, -e, adj. noisy, blustering.
bruyère, /. heath, heather.
bûche, /. log, chunk of wood.
bûcher, m. funeral pile, pyre, stake.
Bucy (porte de), /. former gate in the southwestern wall of Paris.
budget, VI. budget.
Buffon (George-Louis Leclerc, comte de), celebrated French naturalist and author (1707-1788).
bureau, m. desk, office.
bureaucratique, adj. bureaucratic.
Burgundes, m. pi. Burgundians, a people of ancient Germany who invaded Gaul and settled along the Rhone; Clovis married the daughter of their king, and his children brought the kingdom under the power of the Franks (pronounced Burgondes).
but, m. goal, object, aim.
butin, m. booty, plunder.
Byron (George Gordon, Lord), the celebrated English Romantic poet, author of Childe- Harold, Don Juan, etc. (1788-1824).
c' (ç'), see ce.
ça, see cela.
cacher, v. to conceal, hide; — que, hide the fact that; se — , hide oneself, be concealed, hide.
cachet, m. seal; lettre de — , warrant of imprisonment without accusation or trial.
cachette, /. hiding-place.
cachot, m. cell.
cadavre, m. corpse, dead body.
cadet, -te, adj. and s. younger, junior, younger brother or sister.
cadran, m. dial.
caduc, -uque, adj. decrepit, frail, decayed.
caducité, /. caducity, decay.
Caen, city in the department of Calvados.
café, m. coffee, café.
cage,/, cage.
Cahors, town in the department of Lot.
caillou, m. pebble, pebbles.
Caïn, Cain, eldest son of Adam and Eve, murdered his brother Abel (Bible).
Calais, city and port on the English Channel, in the department of Pas-de-Calais.
calamité, /. calamity.
Calas (Jean), merchant of
Toulouse (1698-1762), see selection for details of the family.
calculer, v. to calculate; calculé, -e, calculating.
Caligula, Roman Emperor, born in 12 a.d., reigned from 37 until he was assassinated in 41; he carried his cruelty so far as to wish that the Roman people had only one head, that he might cut it off with one stroke, and was mad enough to make a consul of his horse.
Callot (Jacques), French painter and engraver, a bold, erratic character with a severe and delicate style (1592-1635).
calme, adj. and m. calm, quiet, calmness, tranquillity.
calmer, v. to calm, quiet, soothe.
calomnie, /. calumny, slander.
Calvados, m. department on the English Channel (a portion of the former province of Normandy).
Calvin (Jean), head of the Protestant Reform in France and Switzerland (1509-1564).
calvinisme, m. Calvinism (religious doctrine of Calvin).
calviniste, adj. and s. Calvinist, Calvinistic.
camarade, m.,/, comrade.
Camargue, /. name of the island formed at the mouth of the Rhone by the two branches of the river.
Camisards, m. pi. Protestants
VOCABULARY
of the Cévennes who took up arms after the revocation of the edict of Nantes (1685), so called because of the shirt (in the patois camiso) which they wore over their other garments.
camp, m. camp.
campagne, /. country, stretch of country, fields in general, campaign; — de Rome, Campagna Romana.
camper, v. to camp.
Canada, m. Canada.
canaille, /. mob, rabble.
canal, m. canal; le — des deux mers, the canal connecting (together with the Garonne) the Mediterranean and the Atlantic.
cancer, m. cancer.
candeur, /. candor.
candidat, m. candidate.
canon, m. cannon, barrel (of a gun).
canonner, v. to cannonade.
canonnier, m. cannonier.
canoniser, v. to canonize.
Cantal (le), w. a mountain range in Auvergne, also the department in which the mountains lie.
cantique, m. canticle, song.
canton, m. canton (subdivision of an arrondissement), Swiss canton.
canzone, /. song, ode, ballad (Italian).
cap, m. cape, promontory, head; de — en pied, from tip to toe.
capable, adj. capable.
cape, /. cape, cloak with a hood; rire sous — , to laugh in one's sleeve.
capétien, -ne, adj. and s.
Capetian, see also Capets (written Capétien when s.),
Capets (les), the Capetians or third race of French kings who came to the throne with Hugues Capet in 987, all the French kings since that date belong to this family.
capitaine, m. captain, commander, leader.
capital, -e, adj. capital, main.
capitale, /. capital.
capitan-pacha, m. Turkish admiral.
capitule, m. capitol; Capitule de Rome, the Capitol of Rome, a temple and citadel on the Capitoline Hill; Capitole de Toulouse, City Hall of Toulouse (the name comes from capitoul).
capitoul, m. former municipal magistrate in Toulouse.
capitulaire, w. capitulary; pi.
legislative acts of the Merovingian and the Carlovingian kings.
capitulation, /. capitulation.
caprice, m. caprice, whim, fancy, sally.
capricieux, -euse, adj. capricious, fanciful, whimsical.
captif, -ive, adj. and s. captive, prisoner.
capture, /. capture.
capuchon, m. hood, monk's cowl.
Capulets, celebrated Ghibelline family of Verona, implacable enemies of the Montaigus (to these families Romeo and Juliet belonged).
car, conj. for.
carabine, /. carbine, rifle.
VOCABULARY
caractère, m. character, characteristic, mark.
caractériser, v. to characterize; se — , be or become characterized.
Carcassonne, city in the department of Aude, especially noted for its ramparts, the best preserved example of the fortifications of the Middle Ages.
cardinal, m. cardinal.
carême, m. Lent.
caresse, /. caress.
caresser, v. to caress.
carillon, m. chimes, peal.
Carlat, village in the department of Ariège.
carlovingien, -ne, adj. and s.
Carlovingian, belonging to the second race of French kings who reigned from Pépin le Bref to Louis V (751-987). The name is derived from Charlemagne (Mrritten Carlovingien when s.).
carme, m. Carmelite friar.
Camac, commune in the department of Morbihan, noted for its Celtic monuments.
carnage, m. carnage, slaughter.
carré, -e, adj. square.
carrefour, m. crossway.
Carrier (Jean-Baptiste), a rabid revolutionist and member of the Convention, he ordered the noyades at Nantes; born in 1756 and beheaded in 1794.
carrière, /. career, quarry.
carte, /. card, map', bill.
carthaginois, -e, adj. and s.
Carthaginian (written Carthaginois when s.).
cas, m. case, event, affair, situation.
cascade, /. cascade.
caserne, /. barrack.
casque, m. helmet.
cassation,/, cassation, repeal, appeal, reversal, annulment, quashing (of a sentence).
Cassel, village in the department of Nord, scene of a defeat of the Flemish by Philippe VI in 1328.
casser, v. to break; — la tête d'un coup de pistolet, kill by shooting in the head with a pistol.
Cassien (Jean), an ascetic writer, after leading a monastic life in the Last and in the deserts, he came to Marseilles to found the celebrated monastery of Saint -Victor (lived from about 350 to about 440).
Castille,/. Castile, former division of Spain; from the ninth to the fifteenth centuries it was one of the kingdoms into which Spain was divided; it was united to Aragon by the marriage of Isabella of Castile to Ferdinand the Catholic; principal city Madrid.
Castres, small city in the department of Tarn.
catacombes,/, pi. catacombs.
catafalque, m. catafalco, catafalque (funeral decoration raised above a coffin).
catalan, -e, adj. and s. Catalonian, belonging to Catalonia, a former province of northeastern Spain (written Catalan when s.).
VOCABULARY
catapulte, /. catapult.
catastrophe, /. catastrophe.
cathédrale, /. cathedral.
Cathelineau (Jacques), Vendean leader in the French Revolution (1759-1793)-
Catherine, Catharine; — (sainte), Saint Catharine:
there are two celebrated saints of this name, one of Alexandria, who was martyred about 307, she is the patron saint of young girls; the other of Sienna (1347- 1380); — de la Rochelle, a woman of the early fifteenth century who claimed to be inspired; — de Médicis, daughter of Lorenzo (II) de' Medici of Florence, wife of Henri II and mother of François II, Charles IX and Henri III, and regent during the minority of Charles IX, she was a skilful and unscrupulous politician, and instigated the massacre of Saint Bartholomew (1519-
catholicisme, m. Catholicism.
catholicité, /. Catholicity, Catholicism.
catholique, adj. and s. Catholic.
Caton, Cato, the celebrated and austere Roman censor (237-142 B.c.), great-grandfather of Cato of Utica, a stoic, who stood for liberty and opposed Caesar for this reason; the younger Cato committed suicide after Caesar defeated Pompey's followers at Thapsus (95- 46 B.c.).
cauchemar, m. nightmare.
Cauchon (Pierre), bishop of Beauvais, member of the Burgundian party; he gained an unenviable name by the part he took as judge in the trial of Jeanne Dare; he died in
Caumont de la Force (Jacques de Caumont, due de la Force), Marshall of France, celebrated soldier under Henri IV and Louis XIII (1558-1652).
cause, /. cause, reason; à — de, because of.
causer, v. to cause, produce, chat.
Caussade, town in the department of Tarn-et-Garonne.
Cauterets, village in the department of Hautes-Pyrénées.
Caux, m. district in Normandy, north of the Seine (department of Seine-Inférieure).
Cavagne (or Cavagnes), a Protestant gentleman,
hanged with Briquemaut before the Court in 1572.
cavalerie, /. cavalry.
cave, /. cellar.
caverne, /. cavern, cave.
ce, dem. pr. this, that, it, he, etc.; — qui, — que, which, what.
ce, cette (ces, pi.), dem. adj.
pr. this, that.
ceci, dem. pr. this, this thing.
céder, v. to cede, yield, give up.
ceinture, /. belt, waist.
cela (abbreviated: ça), dem.
pr. that, that thing.
VOCABULARY
célèbre, adj. celebrated.
célébrer, v. to celebrate.
céleste, adj. celestial, heavenly.
Celtes, m. pi. Celts, an Indo- European people, whose migrations are prehistoric; at first they covered central Europe, then they were pushed on into Gaul, Spain and the British isles. They were largely absorbed by the Romans, but persisted in Ireland, Scotland, and Wales; the Bretons of Brittany came over from England at the time of the Anglo-Saxon invasions (the singular Celte is also used).
celtique, adj. Celtic; la Celtique, the Celtic territory (written Celtique when s.).
celui, celle (ceux, celles, pL), dem. pr. this, that, this one,
etc.; ci, là, this one,
that one, the latter, the former, this man, that man, he, etc.; — qui, he who, etc.
cendre, /. ashes, dust; pi.
embers, ashes.
cène, /. the Lord's supper, communion.
cent, card, one hundred.
centaine, /. about one hundred, hundred.
Cent Nouvelles (or les Cent Nouvelles Nouvelles), a collection of stories imitated from Boccaccio by Antoine de La Salle (1390-1464).
central, -e, adj. central.
centralisation, /. centralization.
centraliser, v. to centralize.
centre, m. center.
cependant, adv. and conj.
however, yet, in the meantime.
cercle, m. circle.
cérébro-spinal, -e, adj. cerebro-spinal.
cérémonial, m. ceremonial, etiquette.
cérémonie, /. ceremony.
cerf, m. stag, deer.
cerner, v. to surround, encircle.
cers, m. strong healthy west wind of Langued( J, whereas the autan is the unhealthy southeast wind from Africa.
certain, -e, adj. certain, a certain, some.
certainement, adv. certainly, surely.
certes, adv. certainly, truly.
certificat, m. certificate.
certitude,* /. certainty, assurance.
cerveau, m. brain.
César (Jules), Julius Csesar, the celebrated Roman general who conquered Gaul (59-51 B.c.), he was born in ICI B.c. and was assassinated by Brutus in 44 b.c.
cesse, /. ceasing, cessation.
cesser, v. to cease.
Cette, city and port on the Mediterranean, in the department of Hérault.
Cévennes (les), /. pi. a mountain range in the central part of southern France, extending from the department of Aude to the department of Loire, the extreme height is 1754 metres.
chacun, -e, pr. each, each one.
chagrin, m. grief, vexation.
VOCABULARY
chaîne, /. chain.
chair, /. flesh, meat.
chaire, /. pulpit, bishop's throne.
chaise, /. chair.
chaleur, /. heat, warmth.
Chalons (-sur-Saône), city in the department of Saôneet-Loire.
Chambord, a commune of the department of Loire -et- Cher, noted for the magnificefi castle built by- Francois 1er.
champ, m. field.
Champagne, /. Champaign, former French province, united to France in 1286;
Pouilleuse, name given
to the most arid part of Champaign; le grand comte de — , Thibault de Champagne (1201-1253).
champenois, -e, adj. and s. of Champaign, inhabitant of Champaign (written Champenois when s.).
champion, m. champion.
chance, /. chance, luck.
chanceler, v. to totter, stagger, waver.
chancelier, m. chancellor, formerly in France an official who was the supreme head of all justice.
chandelier, m. candlestick.
change, m. exchange; donner le — , to put on the wrong scent; prendre le —, be duped, let oneself be deceived.
changement, m. change.
changer, v. to change; — de, change.
chanoine, m. canon (of the church).
chant, m. song, chant, singing.
Chantai (sainte Jeanne-Françoise de), lady noted for her piety, founder of the order of the Visitation; she was the grandmother of Madame de Sévigné (1572- 1641).
chanter, v. to sing, chant.
chaos, m. chaos.
chape, /. cope (church garment).
chapeau, m. hat.
chapelain, m. chaplain.
chapelet, m. chaplet of beads, rosary.
chapelier, m. hatter.
chapelle, /. chapel; la sainte * Chapelle, a chapel in Paris, built on the side of the Court House at the time of Louis IX, between 1242 and 1248 (more usually written Sainte -Chapelle).
