French word

répit

Pronunciation

IPA/ʁepi/

Meaning

  • masculine nounbreak

Example

Je vais prendre un petit répit avant de continuer.

I'm going to take a short break before continuing.

Illustration for répit (break)

More examples

La pluie a donné un bref répit aux pompiers.

The rain gave the firefighters a brief respite.

Core concept

A temporary breathing space in the middle of an ongoing effort.

Common phrases

  • prendre un répit

    take a break

  • accorder un répit

    grant a respite

Similar words

pause: A brief pause in work or conversation.
repos: Time spent resting to recover from fatigue.
sieste: A short nap taken during the day.

Definition in French

Période courte de repos ou d'interruption d'une activité permettant de reprendre des forces ou de souffler.

Word origin

The French noun répit is inherited from Old French respit, ultimately from Latin respectus, and originally referred to a delay or temporary suspension.

Usage tips

  • Répit is somewhat more formal than pause, so everyday speech often uses faire une pause instead of prendre un répit.

Other meanings

  • restnoun

Opposites

Word lists with this word