French word

éperon

Pronunciation

IPA/epəʁɔ̃/

Meaning

  • masculine nounspur

Example

Le cavalier a mis un éperon à son cheval.

The rider fitted a spur to his horse.

Illustration for éperon (spur)

More examples

Le sentier contourne un éperon avant d'entrer dans la forêt.

The trail goes around a spur before entering the forest.

Core concept

A heel spur used to guide a horse and, by shape, a pointed feature that sticks out from a larger form.

Definition in French

Petit objet métallique fixé au talon d'une botte, utilisé pour piquer ou diriger un cheval ; par extension, saillie pointue sur un rocher, une construction ou un objet.

Word origin

Éperon comes through Old French from a Germanic word related to English spur, with the later projection sense extending beyond horse tack.

Usage tips

  • The final n in éperon is not pronounced as a separate consonant because -on is a nasal vowel ending in standard French.

Opposites

Word lists with this word