French Conversation · Level 118
59 words
French word
deuil
Pronunciation
IPA/dœj/
Meaning
- masculine nounmourning
Example
Après la mort de son père, il est en deuil.
After his father's death, he is in mourning.
More examples
Elle a besoin de temps pour faire son deuil.
She needs time to grieve her loss.
Core concept
A loss casts a shadow over ordinary routines, with sadness and public signs of mourning lasting for a time.
Common phrases
faire le deuil de
grieve the loss of ___
période de deuil
period of mourning
porter le deuil
be in mourning
Similar words
peine: A painful feeling of sadness or emotional distress.
tristesse: A continuing feeling of sadness.
regret: A feeling of sorrow about a past event or one's own action.
Definition in French
Période de tristesse éprouvée après la perte d'un proche, parfois accompagnée de rites ou de signes extérieurs.
Word origin
The French noun deuil developed from Old French duel, which comes from Latin dolus, a word for grief or pain.
Usage tips
- The expression "faire le deuil de" also applies to losing a job, relationship, or hope, not only to the death of a person.
Other meanings
- sorrownoun
- griefnoun
Opposites
- joiejoynoun
- allégressejubilationnoun
Related words
- endeuillercause ___ to mournverb
- endeuillébereavedadjective