French word

œil

Pronunciation

IPA/œj/

Meaning

  • masculine nouneye

Example

Garde un œil sur la porte.

Keep an eye on the door.

Illustration for œil (eye)

More examples

La nuit dernière, je n'ai pas fermé l'œil.

Last night, I didn't sleep a wink.

Core concept

A small light-catching organ in the head that turns visual detail into a focused gaze.

Common phrases

  • ne pas fermer l'œil

    not sleep a wink

  • avoir l'œil

    have a discerning eye

Similar words

vue: The power of sight or the extent of what is visible.
regard: A gaze directed toward someone or something.
vision: The overall visual appearance or field of view.

Definition in French

Organe de la vue, situé dans la tête, qui capte la lumière et permet de distinguer formes et couleurs.

Word origin

French œil comes from Latin oculus through Old French forms such as oil and ueil, with regular sound changes leading to the modern spelling.

Usage tips

  • Its irregular plural is yeux, not œils, although œils occurs in a few fixed technical expressions.

Other meanings

  • pupilnoun

Word lists with this word