French word

courber

Pronunciation

IPA/kuʁbe/

Meaning

  • verbbend

Example

Elle se courbe pour ramasser le livre.

She bends down to pick up the book.

Illustration for courber (bend)

More examples

Il a courbé le genou en descendant l'escalier.

He bent his knee while going down the stairs.

Core concept

A straight back or object becoming a curved line as it bends.

Common phrases

  • courber le genou

    bend the knee

  • se courber en deux

    bend over double

Similar words

se pencher: To lean the upper body forward or to one side.
se baisser: To bend the body or knees to lower oneself.
plier: To fold or bend something to create a crease or angle.
incliner: To tilt the body or an object slightly.

Definition in French

Causer la courbure d'un objet; pour une personne, se pencher en pliant le dos ou la taille.

Word origin

Courber comes through Old French corber from Latin curvare, 'to bend', and is related to French courbe.

Usage tips

  • The reflexive form se courber describes the subject bending, while courber l'échine is a figurative expression for submitting.

Other meanings

  • stoopverb

Opposites

Related words

  • courburecurvaturenoun
  • courbébentadjective

Word lists with this word