French word

puce

Pronunciation

IPA/pys/

Meaning

  • feminine nounflea

Example

Le chien a une puce.

The dog has a flea.

Illustration for puce (flea)

More examples

Le chat gratte parce qu'il a des puces.

The cat is scratching because it has fleas.

Core concept

A nearly invisible flea on an animal's coat, whose name also labels a dark red-brown shade and a tiny chip.

Common phrases

  • une puce

    a flea

  • avoir des puces

    have fleas

  • piqûre de puce

    flea bite

Similar words

pou: A small blood-sucking insect that lives in hair or body hair and causes itching.
punaise: A small blood-feeding insect found in furniture and bedding.
tique: A small blood-feeding parasite that attaches to skin or animals.

Definition in French

Petit insecte hématophage et sauteur qui vit sur les mammifères; par analogie, désigne aussi une nuance brun-rouge et un très petit composant électronique.

Word origin

Puce is an inherited word from Latin pulex via Old French, with the color sense linked to the flea and the electronic sense formed as a size-based extension.

Usage tips

  • The final e in puce is silent, and c before e sounds like s; the French u is not the English oo sound.

Other meanings

  • flea-coloredadjective
  • microchipnoun

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