French word

bise

Pronunciation

IPA/biz/

Meaning

  • feminine nouncheek kiss

Example

En France, on fait souvent la bise entre amis.

In France, friends often exchange cheek kisses.

Illustration for bise (cheek kiss)

More examples

Après une longue absence, elle lui a fait la bise.

After a long absence, she gave him a kiss on the cheek.

Core concept

A brief cheek kiss shared as a greeting or sign of affection.

Common phrases

  • faire la bise

    to greet someone with a kiss on the cheek

  • donner la bise

    to give someone a kiss on the cheek

  • la bise sur la joue

    a kiss on the cheek

Similar words

bisou: A friendly kiss on the cheek or lips expressing affection.
poignée de main: A hand-clasping greeting commonly used when meeting someone or in formal situations.
câlin: The act of holding someone in both arms to offer comfort or show affection.
baiser: A lip-to-lip kiss that often carries strong sexual meaning.

Definition in French

Petit baiser léger posé sur la joue entre personnes pour se saluer ou montrer de l'affection.

Word origin

The greeting sense of French bise developed from baiser, which comes from Latin basiare, meaning 'to kiss'.

Usage tips

  • The usual expression is faire la bise, and this feminine noun takes la rather than the masculine article le.

Other meanings

  • cold north windnoun

Related words

Word lists with this word