French word

effraie

Pronunciation

IPA/efʁɛ/

Meaning

  • feminine nounbarn owl

Example

L'effraie cherche des souris la nuit.

The barn owl looks for mice at night.

Illustration for effraie (barn owl)

More examples

On a aperçu une effraie posée sur le rebord de la fenêtre.

A barn owl was spotted perched on the windowsill.

Core concept

A light-plumaged night owl silently patrolling farm buildings and church towers for small rodents.

Similar words

chouette: A small-to-medium nocturnal owl with a round face and no prominent ear tufts.
hibou: A somewhat larger owl with visible ear tufts.
oiseau: A general term for a feathered bird that flies.

Definition in French

Chouette de taille moyenne au plumage clair, active la nuit et spécialisée dans la capture des rongeurs autour des granges et des clochers.

Word origin

Old French records include esfraie and afraie, forms that developed into the modern French noun effraie; no deeper origin is certain.

Usage tips

  • Effraie specifically names the barn owl, whereas chouette is a broader everyday word for an owl.

Word lists with this word