French Conversation · Level 147
30 words
French word
étourdir
Pronunciation
IPA/etuʁdiʁ/
Meaning
- verbmake dizzy
Example
Le bruit m'a étourdi.
The noise made me dizzy.
More examples
La chute l'a étourdi et il a perdu l'équilibre.
The fall made him dizzy and he lost his balance.
Core concept
An external shock briefly scrambles someone's senses, making the surroundings seem unclear.
Common phrases
étourdir quelqu'un
make someone dizzy
étourdir la tête
make someone's head spin
Similar words
assommer: To render someone unconscious through a forceful strike or impact.
sonner: To leave someone briefly dazed by a loud sound or heavy impact.
désorienter: To make someone lose their bearings and become confused.
éblouir: To make someone temporarily unable to see clearly because of intense light.
Definition in French
Rend quelqu'un étourdi, c'est-à-dire qui provoque un étourdissement passager généralement causé par un choc, un bruit violent ou une surprise.
Word origin
French étourdir developed from Old French estourdir and retains the older verb's sense of causing temporary confusion or dizziness.
Usage tips
- In the example, m'a étourdi uses avoir in the passé composé because étourdir is a transitive verb.
Other meanings
- dazeverb
- stunverb
Related words
- étourdidizzyadjective
- étourdissementdizzinessnoun
- étourdissantdizzyingadjective