French word

faubourg

Pronunciation

IPA/fobuʁ/

Meaning

  • masculine nounsuburb

Example

Il habite dans un faubourg de la ville.

He lives in a suburb of the city.

Illustration for faubourg (suburb)

More examples

Il y a un marché le dimanche dans les faubourgs voisins.

There is a market on Sunday in the neighboring suburbs.

Core concept

A built-up extension of a city growing outside its former defensive boundary.

Common phrases

  • vivre dans un faubourg

    live in a suburb

  • les faubourgs voisins

    the neighboring suburbs

Similar words

banlieue: A residential suburb or district away from the city center.
quartier: A neighborhood or district within a city or town.
périphérie: The outer area surrounding a city.

Definition in French

Zone urbaine qui, historiquement, se trouvait hors des fortifications d'une cité mais restait liée à la ville elle-même.

Word origin

The word developed from the Old French compound forsborc, whose elements mean "outside" and "town"; bourg ultimately comes from Germanic burg.

Usage tips

  • Faubourg is masculine, so standard forms include un faubourg and le faubourg.

Other meanings

  • outskirtsnoun

Opposites

Word lists with this word