French Conversation · Level 19
89 words
French word
dessiner
Pronunciation
IPA/desine/
Meaning
- verbdraw
Example
Je dessine un chat.
I am drawing a cat.
More examples
Il aime dessiner pendant son temps libre.
He likes drawing during his free time.
Core concept
A hand follows the outline of a subject with a pencil or pen, making its form visible on paper.
Common phrases
dessiner un portrait
draw a portrait
dessiner un plan
draw a plan
dessiner à la main
draw by hand
Similar words
écrire: To record letters or words on paper or a screen.
peindre: To express an image or pattern by applying paint or colored pigment to a surface.
Definition in French
Tracer des lignes et des contours sur un support pour représenter une forme, un objet ou une image.
Word origin
Dessiner comes from Old French forms such as desiner and ultimately from Latin designare, meaning to mark or indicate.
Usage tips
- Dessiner centers on making an image with lines, whereas peindre centers on applying paint, even though a drawing can also contain color.
Other meanings
- sketchverb
- draw from lifeverb
Related words
- dessindrawingnoun
- dessinateurillustratornoun
- dessinédrawnadjective