French Conversation · Level 149
30 words
French word
aval
Pronunciation
IPA/aval/
Meaning
- masculine noundownstream
Example
Le village se trouve en aval de la rivière.
The village is downstream along the river.
More examples
On a mesuré la qualité de l'eau en aval de l'usine.
We measured water quality downstream of the factory.
Core concept
A point on a river that lies lower and farther along the flow than another point.
Common phrases
en aval de
downstream of
jusqu'en aval de
as far downstream as ___
Similar words
amont: A place located upstream along a river.
rive: The edge of land where a river or lake meets it.
berge: An embankment or bank alongside a river or canal.
bord: The outer edge of an object or piece of land.
Definition in French
Partie d'un cours d'eau située dans la direction où l'eau s'écoule, plus basse que l'amont.
Word origin
French aval developed from Old French aval, formed with a- for direction and val from Latin vallis, meaning 'valley'.
Usage tips
- For locations, aval commonly appears in en aval de, while donner son aval means 'to endorse' and refers to a different sense.
Other meanings
- approvalnoun
Opposites
- amontupstreamnoun