French word

capteur

Pronunciation

IPA/kaptœʁ/

Meaning

  • masculine nounsensor

Example

Le capteur de la porte est en panne.

The door sensor is not working.

Illustration for capteur (sensor)

More examples

Un capteur sans fil facilite l'installation.

A wireless sensor makes installation easier.

Core concept

A sensing part that detects a physical condition and feeds its electrical or digital result to a system.

Common phrases

  • capteur de mouvement

    motion sensor

  • capteur sans fil

    wireless sensor

  • capteur de porte

    door sensor

Similar words

détecteur: A device that detects a specific condition or presence and triggers a response or alert.
sonde: A probe used to obtain measurements from inside or hard-to-reach places.

Definition in French

Composant ou organe qui reçoit une grandeur physique et produit une sortie électrique ou numérique.

Word origin

Capteur is a derivative of capter, itself borrowed from Latin captare, a frequentative of capere; the ending -eur denotes an agent or instrument.

Usage tips

  • In technical French, capteur can name a very small built-in component, not only a complete device, so product descriptions use it broadly.

Other meanings

  • detectornoun

Related words

Word lists with this word