French word

gravats

Pronunciation

IPA/gʁava/

Meaning

  • masculine nounrubble

Example

Ne marche pas sur les gravats, c'est dangereux.

Don't walk on the rubble, it's dangerous.

Illustration for gravats (rubble)

More examples

Il a fallu enlever les gravats après l'effondrement.

It was necessary to remove the rubble after the collapse.

Core concept

A rough pile of small stone, brick, and concrete pieces beside a damaged or altered building.

Common phrases

  • tas de gravats

    heap of rubble

  • enlever les gravats

    clear away the rubble

  • déblayer les gravats

    clear the rubble

Similar words

décombres: Large pieces and structural remains scattered after a building collapses.
débris: Small broken fragments gathered together after something is damaged.
ruines: What remains of a building after it has been destroyed.
gravier: Small, loose stones used as a granular material.

Definition in French

Fragments de pierre, de brique ou de ciment provenant d'une démolition, d'un effondrement ou de travaux, formant un amas généralement traité au pluriel.

Word origin

The French noun comes from Old French gravat, which first referred to small stones or gravel before extending to building debris.

Usage tips

  • In ordinary French, gravats is usually plural and takes les or des, while the singular gravat is uncommon.

Other meanings

  • debrisnoun

Word lists with this word