French word

coude

Pronunciation

IPA/kud/

Meaning

  • masculine nounelbow

Example

Je me suis cogné le coude en tombant.

I banged my elbow when I fell.

Illustration for coude (elbow)

More examples

Après l'accident, il avait du mal à plier le coude.

After the accident, he had trouble bending his elbow.

Core concept

A bent hinge where the upper and lower parts of the arm meet, including the nearby fold of skin.

Common phrases

  • avoir mal au coude

    have a sore elbow

  • se cogner le coude

    bang one's elbow

  • plier le coude

    bend one's elbow

Similar words

bras: The upper limb from shoulder to wrist, used to carry, hold, and move things.
main: The palm and fingers that enable grasping and touching.
avant-bras: The lower arm between elbow and wrist, which supports objects and conveys force to the hand.
poignet: The connection between hand and forearm that lets the hand bend and rotate.

Definition in French

Désigne l'articulation et la portion du bras située au pli entre le bras et l'avant-bras.

Word origin

French coude comes from Latin cubitus through Old French forms, with its sounds and spelling changing during the historical development of the word.

Usage tips

  • Coude is masculine: un coude, le coude, and au coude are the standard forms.

Other meanings

  • bendnoun

Related words

  • coudièreelbow padnoun
  • coudébentadjective

Word lists with this word