French word

mordre

Pronunciation

IPA/mɔʁdʁ/

Meaning

  • verbbite

Example

Ne mords pas !

Don't bite!

Illustration for mordre (bite)

More examples

Le chien a mordu le facteur.

The dog bit the mail carrier.

Core concept

Teeth clamp onto something, whether to cut through it, hold it firmly, or hurt it.

Common phrases

  • se mordre la langue

    bite one's tongue

  • mordre à pleines dents

    sink one's teeth into ___

Similar words

mâcher: To repeatedly chew food with the teeth to break it into smaller pieces.
mordiller: To make repeated light bites that leave small marks.

Definition in French

Mordre signifie placer les dents dans quelque chose pour le couper, le tenir ou le blesser.

Word origin

French mordre comes through Old French from Latin mordere, whose basic meaning was also 'to bite'.

Usage tips

  • The present forms je mords, tu mords, il mord, and ils mordent sound alike, so the written endings carry grammatical information.

Other meanings

  • gnawverb
  • bite atverb

Related words

  • mordillernibbleverb
  • morsurebitenoun
  • mordantbitingadjective

Word lists with this word