French word

particule

Pronunciation

IPA/paʁtikyl/

Meaning

  • feminine nounparticle

Example

Une particule de poussière est tombée sur la table.

A particle of dust fell on the table.

Illustration for particule (particle)

More examples

Il y a une particule de nourriture sur ta chemise.

There is a food particle on your shirt.

Core concept

A tiny piece that can exist in matter or cling to a word as a small grammatical element.

Common phrases

  • particule de poussière

    dust particle

  • particule de nourriture

    food particle

Similar words

grain: A small, hard grain of sand or cereal.
poussière: A cloud of very fine dirt or particles floating in the air.
morceau: A small piece cut from a larger object.
fragment: A small piece broken off from a damaged or shattered object.

Definition in French

Terme général désignant une très petite unité matérielle ou, dans un registre technique, un petit élément linguistique invariable.

Word origin

The French noun particule comes from Latin particula, a diminutive of pars meaning a small part.

Usage tips

  • Particule is feminine, so standard forms include une particule and cette particule.

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word