French word

puits

Pronunciation

IPA/pɥi/

Meaning

  • masculine nounwell

Example

Il y a un puits dans le village.

There is a well in the village.

Illustration for puits (well)

More examples

Ils ont creusé un puits pour avoir de l'eau.

They dug a well to get water.

Core concept

A deep vertical shaft reaching underground water, with a bucket or pump bringing it to the surface.

Common phrases

  • un puits

    a well

  • creuser un puits

    dig a well

  • puits de pétrole

    oil well

Similar words

fontaine: A structure in a street or square that provides water for public use.
source: A place where groundwater naturally rises to the surface.

Definition in French

Forage ou trou vertical pratiqué pour atteindre de l'eau souterraine et en prélever.

Word origin

French puits comes through Old French from Latin puteus, meaning "well" or "deep pit," and is related to French puiser.

Usage tips

  • Puits is masculine, as in un puits, and its final s is normally silent, so singular and plural have the same pronunciation.

Other meanings

  • oil wellnoun
  • boreholenoun

Related words

  • puiserdraw waterverb
  • puisédrawn upadjective

Word lists with this word