French Conversation · Level 68
60 words
French word
entrecroiser
Pronunciation
IPA/ɑ̃tʁəkʁwaze/
Meaning
- verbcross
Example
Dans ce quartier, les rues s'entrecroisent autour des petites places.
In this neighborhood, the streets cross around the small squares.
More examples
Elle a entrecroisé ses doigts en attendant.
She interlaced her fingers as she waited.
Core concept
Several lines cross back and forth, forming a dense network rather than a single intersection.
Common phrases
entrecroiser les doigts
interlace one's fingers
les routes s'entrecroisent
the roads intersect
Similar words
croiser: To meet and pass at a single crossing point.
s'entremêler: To become mixed together in a confusing, hard-to-untangle way.
s'emmêler: To become knotted together so that threads or hair cannot be undone.
Definition in French
Faire se croiser mutuellement plusieurs éléments; emploi fréquent pronominal pour indiquer qu'ils s'entrelacent.
Word origin
Entrecroiser combines entre-, related to Latin inter, with croiser, which comes through Old French from Latin crux, meaning 'cross'.
Usage tips
- The pronominal form s'entrecroiser is common for streets, paths, lines, and events that cross in several directions.