French word

hexagone

Pronunciation

IPA/ɛgzagon/

Meaning

  • masculine nounmainland France

Example

Je viens de l'hexagone.

I come from mainland France.

Illustration for hexagone (mainland France)

More examples

Il habite sur l'Hexagone depuis dix ans.

He has lived in mainland France for ten years.

Core concept

A roughly six-sided country outline standing for metropolitan France.

Common phrases

  • habiter dans l'Hexagone

    live in mainland France

  • sur l'Hexagone

    in mainland France

Similar words

France: The name of the French state.
métropole: A common or administrative term for France excluding its overseas territories.
France métropolitaine: An official term for France's territory in continental Europe.

Definition in French

Mot familier désignant la France métropolitaine ; sens originel : figure plane à six côtés.

Word origin

French hexagone comes through Latin hexagonum from Greek hexagōnon, meaning 'six-angled', and its geometric sense later extended metaphorically to metropolitan France.

Usage tips

  • In the country sense, the usual form is l'Hexagone, with elision before the vowel, and the label is familiar rather than fully neutral.

Other meanings

  • hexagonnoun

Opposites

Word lists with this word