French word

craie

Pronunciation

IPA/kʁɛ/

Meaning

  • feminine nounchalk

Example

Donne-moi une craie, s'il te plaît.

Give me a piece of chalk, please.

Illustration for craie (chalk)

More examples

Le professeur écrit au tableau avec une craie blanche.

The teacher writes on the board with a piece of white chalk.

Core concept

A slender chalk stick that leaves a visible line on a board, slate, or the ground.

Common phrases

  • écrire à la craie

    write in chalk

  • effacer la craie

    erase the chalk

  • une craie blanche

    a piece of white chalk

Similar words

crayon: A narrow tool with a solid core for writing or drawing on paper.
marqueur: An ink-filled pen-like tool for writing or drawing in color on paper or whiteboards.

Definition in French

Bâtonnet en matière calcaire ou synthétique, utilisé pour tracer des lettres, des dessins ou des lignes sur un tableau, une ardoise ou le sol.

Word origin

French craie comes from Latin creta, meaning chalk, through Old French forms such as creie and crei.

Usage tips

  • Craie is feminine, so its ordinary singular article is une, as in une craie.

Word lists with this word