French word

auto

Pronunciation

IPA/oto/

Meaning

  • feminine nouncar

Example

Je viens en auto.

I come by car.

Illustration for auto (car)

More examples

Il a lavé son auto hier.

He washed his car yesterday.

Core concept

A privately used engine-powered vehicle moving passengers from place to place.

Common phrases

  • en auto

    by car

Similar words

voiture: A typical passenger car used in daily life.
véhicule: A general term for road vehicles such as cars and motorcycles.

Definition in French

Forme abrégée et familière d'automobile, désignant un véhicule à moteur destiné au transport privé de passagers.

Word origin

French auto developed by shortening automobile, a nineteenth-century formation combining Greek auto- with Latin mobilis, 'movable'.

Usage tips

  • In en auto, the noun appears without an article to describe the means of transport, while a specific vehicle takes an article.

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word