French word

lyncheur

Pronunciation

IPA/lɛ̃ʃœʁ/

Meaning

  • masculine nounlyncher

Example

La police a identifié le lyncheur grâce aux vidéos.

The police identified the lyncher thanks to the videos.

Illustration for lyncheur (lyncher)

More examples

Les habitants ont chassé le lyncheur avant l'arrivée de la police.

The residents chased the lyncher away before the police arrived.

Core concept

Someone in a crowd who contributes to collective punishment directed at an individual instead of a court decision.

Similar words

assaillant: A person who attacks another person and causes physical harm.
agresseur: A person who uses violence to hurt someone else.
émeutier: A person who takes part in riots and acts violently.
voyou: A rough, delinquent person prone to violent behavior.

Definition in French

Personne qui participe à un lynchage, c'est-à-dire qui inflige ou favorise une punition collective sans procès.

Word origin

Lyncheur entered French through lyncher, an English borrowing ultimately linked to the expression Lynch law, and takes the suffix -eur.

Usage tips

  • French also uses lyncheur figuratively in phrases about collective public condemnation, but the word keeps its violent, accusatory force.

Opposites

Related words

  • lyncherlynchverb
  • lynchagelynchingnoun

Word lists with this word