French word

teindre

Pronunciation

IPA/tɛ̃dʁ/

Meaning

  • verbdye

Example

Je vais teindre mes cheveux demain.

Tomorrow, I am going to dye my hair.

Illustration for teindre (dye)

More examples

Tu peux teindre ce t-shirt en rouge.

You can dye this T-shirt red.

Core concept

A material taking in color until its original shade is durably replaced.

Common phrases

  • teindre les cheveux

    dye one's hair

  • teindre un vêtement

    dye a garment

  • teindre en rouge

    dye ___ red

Similar words

colorer: To apply color to a surface or whole object to change its appearance.
teinter: To add a small amount of color to produce a delicate hue.

Definition in French

Appliquer une couleur qui imprègne la matière pour modifier durablement sa teinte, notamment sur des tissus ou les cheveux.

Word origin

French teindre developed from Latin tingere through Old French, with the same historical source as Spanish teñir and English tint.

Usage tips

  • For coloring one's own hair, French commonly uses se teindre les cheveux, as in je me teins les cheveux.

Other meanings

  • colorverb

Opposites

  • décolorerbleachverb

Related words

  • teinturedyenoun
  • teintcomplexionnoun
  • teintétintedadjective

Word lists with this word