French word

étalon

Pronunciation

IPA/etalɔ̃/

Meaning

  • masculine nounstallion

Example

Le fermier a un étalon pour l'élevage.

The farmer has a stallion for breeding.

Illustration for étalon (stallion)

More examples

Mon voisin a un étalon pour son élevage.

My neighbor has a stallion for his breeding operation.

Core concept

A proven stallion representing the standard of its kind and, in technical use, a standard for checking measurements.

Similar words

cheval: A horse of either sex.
jument: An adult female horse.
mâle: A male animal.

Definition in French

Désigne un cheval mâle gardé pour la reproduction ; par extension, terme technique pour un instrument servant de référence pour la calibration des mesures.

Word origin

Old French used estalon for a breeding stallion, and French later extended this word to a reference standard in measurement.

Usage tips

  • The related verb étalonner means 'to calibrate', as in étalonner un appareil, with the device as its direct object.

Other meanings

  • benchmarknoun
  • standardnoun

Opposites

Word lists with this word