French word

recycler

Pronunciation

IPA/ʁəsikle/

Meaning

  • verbrecycle

Example

Je recycle mes bouteilles en plastique.

I recycle my plastic bottles.

Illustration for recycler (recycle)

More examples

À la maison, nous recyclons le verre.

At home, we recycle glass.

Core concept

A used object processed back into material for a new product.

Common phrases

  • recycler le verre

    recycle glass

  • recycler les bouteilles en plastique

    recycle plastic bottles

Similar words

réutiliser: Clean or repair an item so it can be used again unchanged.
trier: Sort waste or objects into different categories.
récupérer: Gather used items or resources for recovery.
jeter: Discard items that are no longer wanted.

Definition in French

Rendre de nouveau utilisables des matériaux ou des objets usagés en les traitant pour fabriquer de nouveaux produits.

Word origin

French recycler combines re- with cycle, from Latin cyclus and Greek kyklos, expressing a return into a cycle.

Usage tips

  • French distinguishes recycler, which processes material, from réutiliser, which uses an item again without processing it.

Other meanings

  • reuseverb

Opposites

  • incinérerincinerateverb

Related words

  • recyclagerecyclingnoun
  • recyclablerecyclableadjective

Word lists with this word