French word

tache

Pronunciation

IPA/taʃ/

Meaning

  • feminine nounstain

Example

Il y a une tache sur ta chemise.

There's a stain on your shirt.

Illustration for tache (stain)

More examples

Je n'arrive pas à enlever la tache.

I can't remove the stain.

Core concept

An unwanted mark that stands out from the surrounding surface because its material or appearance is different.

Common phrases

  • enlever une tache

    remove a stain

  • faire une tache

    make a stain

  • une tache de sang

    a bloodstain

Similar words

saleté: Dirt or an unclean area on an object.
salissure: A patch of dirt left on an object's surface.

Definition in French

Trace laissée par une substance sur une surface, visible parce qu'elle a une couleur ou une texture différente et généralement considérée comme indésirable.

Word origin

Old French tasche gave rise to modern French tache for a mark or stain, while the word's deeper origin remains uncertain.

Usage tips

  • Tache and tâche are homophones in standard French, but tache means a stain or mark and tâche means a task or piece of work.

Other meanings

  • spotnoun

Opposites

Related words

  • tacherstainverb
  • tachéstainedadjective

Word lists with this word