French word

carnivore

Pronunciation

IPA/kaʁnivɔʁ/

Meaning

  • masculine nouncarnivore

Example

Les carnivores mangent de la viande.

Carnivores eat meat.

Illustration for carnivore (carnivore)

More examples

Les carnivores sauvages chassent la nuit.

Wild carnivores hunt at night.

Core concept

An animal or other organism feeding chiefly on flesh rather than plant matter.

Common phrases

  • les carnivores

    the carnivores

  • un carnivore

    a carnivore

Similar words

prédateur: An animal that hunts, captures, and eats other animals.

Definition in French

Animal ou organisme vivant dont l'alimentation est principalement composée de viande.

Word origin

The French word preserves the learned Latin formation carnivorus, combining caro, carnis 'flesh', with vorare 'to devour'.

Usage tips

  • As a noun, carnivore usually takes un or une according to the animal's grammatical gender, while the adjective can modify either gender as carnivore in the singular.

Other meanings

  • carnivorousadjective

Opposites

  • herbivoreherbivorenoun

Word lists with this word