French word

grincement

Pronunciation

IPA/gʁɛ̃səmɑ̃/

Meaning

  • masculine nouncreak

Example

J'ai entendu le grincement de la chaise.

I heard the creak of the chair.

Illustration for grincement (creak)

Core concept

A high, harsh squeak that stretches as a chair, door, hinge, or teeth rub together.

Similar words

couinement: A small, brief squeak with a high pitch.
crissement: A harsh, ear-piercing scraping sound from hard surfaces rubbing together.

Definition in French

Bruit aigu et souvent prolongé produit par le frottement de deux surfaces (par exemple une porte, une chaise ou une charnière), formant le nom dérivé du verbe grincer.

Word origin

The noun grincement is formed from grincer with -ement, and grincer is generally treated as an Old French onomatopoeic formation for a harsh scraping sound.

Usage tips

  • Grincement is masculine, so standard forms are un grincement and le grincement.

Other meanings

  • teeth grindingnoun

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