French word

moule

Pronunciation

IPA/mul/

Meaning

  • feminine nounmussel

Example

Nous avons mangé des moules au restaurant.

We ate mussels at the restaurant.

Illustration for moule (mussel)

More examples

Au marché, j'ai acheté une portion de moules pour le dîner.

At the market, I bought a serving of mussels for dinner.

Core concept

A shell-like form that either encloses a small edible sea creature or shapes food and objects in a cavity.

Common phrases

  • des moules marinières

    marinière-style mussels

  • une portion de moules

    a serving of mussels

Similar words

huître: An edible bivalve with a hard shell, often eaten raw.
coquillage: A general term for a shelled marine animal found on beaches or in markets.
crevette: A small shelled crustacean, commonly boiled or grilled.

Definition in French

(1) f. : petit mollusque bivalve comestible souvent servi au restaurant. (2) m. : instrument ou cavité servant à donner une forme à un aliment ou à un objet.

Word origin

The two meanings have separate origins: the mussel sense comes through Old French moule from Latin muscula, while the mold sense comes from Latin modulus.

Usage tips

  • The singular forms sound alike, but une moule means a mussel and un moule means a mold, so the article carries the distinction.

Other meanings

  • moldnoun

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