French Conversation · Level 189
15 words
French word
sévir
Pronunciation
IPA/seviʁ/
Meaning
- verbrage
Example
La grippe sévit cet hiver.
The flu is raging this winter.
More examples
La violence sévit dans ce quartier.
Violence is running rampant in this neighborhood.
Core concept
A harmful force spreading through a population and disrupting many lives.
Common phrases
la grippe sévit
The flu is running rampant
une épidémie sévit
An epidemic is running rampant
la violence sévit
Violence is running rampant
Similar words
faire rage: Continue with great intensity, causing widespread damage or disruption.
faire des ravages: Cause serious damage across a wide area.
ravager: Devastate an area and cause extensive damage.
frapper: Strike suddenly and forcefully, bringing harm or hardship.
Definition in French
Produire sur une large échelle des effets nuisibles ou perturbateurs; verbe intransitif souvent employé pour dire qu'un mal ou une violence se répand dans une population.
Word origin
Sévir comes from Latin saevire, meaning "to rage," and developed in French for destructive forces affecting people widely.
Usage tips
- Sévir is intransitive, so the harmful event is the subject, as in "La grippe sévit," rather than an object receiving the action.
Other meanings
- be prevalentverb
- be rampantverb
Opposites
- faiblirweakenverb
- s'apaisersubsideverb