French word

étroit

Pronunciation

IPA/etʁwa/

Meaning

  • adjectivenarrow

Example

La pièce est étroite.

The room is narrow.

Illustration for étroit (narrow)

More examples

Le couloir est étroit.

The corridor is narrow.

Core concept

A squeezed space or passage leaves little room for people or movement.

Common phrases

  • couloir étroit

    narrow corridor

  • passage étroit

    narrow passage

  • espace étroit

    narrow space

Similar words

serré: Close-fitting on the body, making movement difficult.
proche: Marked by a close emotional bond between people.

Definition in French

Qui possède peu de largeur ou d'espace, rendant le passage ou le mouvement difficile.

Word origin

French étroit comes through Old French estreit from Latin strictus, the past participle of stringere, meaning 'to draw tight'.

Usage tips

  • For tight clothing or shoes, French usually uses serré, while étroit mainly describes physically narrow spaces and passages.

Other meanings

  • crampedadjective
  • closeadjective

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word