French Conversation · Level 132
30 words
French word
marteler
Pronunciation
IPA/maʁtəle/
Meaning
- verbhammer
Example
Il martèle le clou avec un marteau.
He hammers the nail with a hammer.
More examples
La prof martèle la consigne avant l'exercice.
The teacher hammers home the instruction before the exercise.
Core concept
Repeated hammer blows drive something firmly into place, while repeated words drive an idea into the mind.
Common phrases
marteler une consigne
hammer home an instruction
marteler une idée
hammer home an idea
Similar words
frapper: Hitting something with force using a hand or tool.
taper: Giving something several light taps with a hand or small tool.
cogner: Colliding forcefully with a person or object and causing impact.
clouer: Securing something by driving nails into it.
Definition in French
Marteler signifie frapper à plusieurs reprises, en particulier avec un marteau, et, par extension, mettre l'accent sur un propos en le répétant.
Word origin
Marteler comes from French marteau, from Old French martel and ultimately Latin martellus, and its figurative sense developed from repeated blows to repeated emphasis.
Usage tips
- In the present tense, marteler has è in the singular forms, as in je martèle, but keeps e in nous martelons.
Other meanings
- emphasizeverb
Opposites
- relativiserput into perspectiveverb
- atténuersoftenverb
Related words
- marteléhammeredadjective
- martèlementhammeringnoun