French word

péninsule

Pronunciation

IPA/penɛ̃syl/

Meaning

  • feminine nounpeninsula

Example

La maison est au bout de la péninsule.

The house is at the tip of the peninsula.

Illustration for péninsule (peninsula)

More examples

Nous faisons le tour de la péninsule en voiture.

We are making a circuit of the peninsula by car.

Core concept

A broad tongue of land reaching into the sea while a narrow land link keeps it attached to the mainland.

Common phrases

  • au bout de la péninsule

    at the peninsula's tip

  • la pointe de la péninsule

    the peninsula's tip

Similar words

presqu'île: Land almost surrounded by sea and joined to the mainland by a narrow strip.
cap: A high, prominent headland projecting into the sea.
île: Land completely surrounded by sea.
pointe: A narrow tip of land projecting into the sea.

Definition in French

Partie de terre presque entourée par la mer et reliée au continent par une bande de terre.

Word origin

French péninsule comes through Medieval Latin from Latin paeninsula, formed from paene, meaning "almost," and insula, meaning "island."

Usage tips

  • Péninsule is feminine, so standard forms include une péninsule and cette péninsule.

Opposites

Related words

  • péninsulairepeninsularadjective

Word lists with this word