French word

branchie

Pronunciation

IPA/bʁɑ̃ʃi/

Meaning

  • feminine noungill

Example

Regarde les branchies de ce poisson.

Look at this fish's gills.

Illustration for branchie (gill)

More examples

Les poissons respirent par les branchies.

Fish breathe through their gills.

Core concept

Thin overlapping sheets in a fish that expose a large surface to oxygen dissolved in water.

Common phrases

  • respirer par les branchies

    breathe through gills

  • les branchies du poisson

    the fish's gills

Similar words

nageoire: A fin used for paddling through the water.
queue: The part at the rear of a fish that creates forward thrust.
arête: A narrow bone in fish flesh that can be hazardous when eaten.
chair: The soft, edible part of a fish or animal.

Definition in French

Désigne l'organe respiratoire des poissons, composé de lamelles fines qui captent l'oxygène dissous dans l'eau.

Word origin

The word branchie traces to Latin branchia and ultimately to Ancient Greek bránkhia, the source of the term for gills.

Usage tips

  • In ordinary French, les branchies de ce poisson refers to the gills of this fish, while branchies is pronounced the same as the singular.

Opposites

Word lists with this word