French word

damer

Pronunciation

IPA/dame/

Meaning

  • verbpack down

Example

Les pisteurs dament la neige.

The trail groomers pack down the snow.

Illustration for damer (pack down)

More examples

Il m'a damé le pion hier.

He outsmarted me yesterday.

Core concept

A boot or roller presses loose snow or soil into a flat, firm, even surface.

Common phrases

  • damer le pion à quelqu'un

    outsmart someone

  • damer la neige

    pack down snow

Similar words

tasser: To compress material so that empty spaces disappear and it becomes firmer.
presser: To push against something with force.
niveler: To even out a surface by eliminating changes in height.
lisser: To smooth a surface through rubbing or spreading.

Definition in French

Compacter et aplatir une surface par pression de manière à la rendre uniforme et ferme, usage fréquent pour la neige et le sol.

Word origin

Damer is formed in French from dame, the name of a heavy compacting tool, with the productive verb ending -er.

Usage tips

  • In the phrase damer le pion à quelqu'un, the verb means to outdo someone rather than to compact a surface.

Other meanings

  • tread downverb
  • compactverb

Opposites

  • ameublirloosenverb
  • perdreloseverb

Related words

  • dameusesnow groomernoun
  • damépacked downadjective

Word lists with this word