French word

quarantaine

Pronunciation

IPA/kaʁɑ̃tɛn/

Meaning

  • feminine nounabout forty

Example

Il y a une quarantaine de personnes dans la salle.

There are about forty people in the room.

Illustration for quarantaine (about forty)

More examples

Le patient est en quarantaine jusqu'à vendredi.

The patient is in quarantine until Friday.

Core concept

A soft-edged count centered on forty, extending naturally to people, objects, or years.

Common phrases

  • une quarantaine de

    about forty

  • être en quarantaine

    be in quarantine

  • mettre en quarantaine

    put in quarantine

Similar words

trentaine: A number of people or things close to thirty.
cinquantaine: A number of people or things close to fifty.
vingtaine: A number of people or things close to twenty.
soixantaine: A number of people or things close to sixty.

Definition in French

S'emploie pour parler d'une tranche d'âge autour de quarante ans, souvent sous la forme « la quarantaine ».

Word origin

The noun developed from French quarante, itself descended from Latin quadraginta, and the ending -aine gives the idea of an approximate set or range.

Usage tips

  • Une quarantaine de is followed by a plural noun with de, not des, so une quarantaine de personnes is the standard pattern.

Other meanings

  • quarantinenoun
  • fortiesnoun

Word lists with this word