French word

handicapé

Pronunciation

IPA/ɑ̃dikape/

Meaning

  • masculine noundisabled person

Example

Un handicapé a demandé de l'aide.

A disabled person asked for help.

Illustration for handicapé (disabled person)

More examples

On a aidé un handicapé à monter dans le bus.

Someone helped a disabled person get on the bus.

Core concept

A person whose disability creates barriers in ordinary activities or social participation.

Common phrases

  • aider un handicapé

    help a disabled person

  • un handicapé en fauteuil roulant

    a disabled person in a wheelchair

Similar words

personne handicapée: A person who needs support or accommodations because of a disability.
personne à mobilité réduite: A person whose movement or walking is limited and requires mobility accommodations.
personne en situation de handicap: A person with long-term or temporary limitations in daily life due to a disability.

Definition in French

Personne considérée comme porteuse d'un handicap entraînant des limitations dans les activités quotidiennes ou sociales.

Word origin

French borrowed handicap from English, where handicap came from hand-in-cap and developed the sense of a disadvantage; handicapé adds the French suffix -é.

Usage tips

  • Current French often prefers personne handicapée or personne en situation de handicap to the bare noun handicapé, which can sound reductive or dated in some contexts.

Other meanings

  • disabledadjective

Opposites

  • personne valideable-bodied personnoun

Related words

Word lists with this word