French word

tressaillir

Pronunciation

IPA/tʁesajiʁ/

Meaning

  • verbstart

Example

Il tressaille en entendant son nom.

He starts when he hears his name.

Illustration for tressaillir (start)

More examples

Le bébé tressaille au moindre bruit.

The baby starts at the slightest noise.

Core concept

A body giving a quick involuntary jolt when struck by surprise, pain, or strong feeling.

Common phrases

  • tressaillir au moindre bruit

    start at the slightest noise

  • tressaillir à la vue d'une araignée

    start at the sight of a spider

Similar words

sursauter: To spring or jerk sharply in sudden surprise.
tressauter: To twitch intermittently after small jolts or impacts.
frissonner: To tremble with a chill, cold, or deep emotion.
se figer: To stop moving abruptly through shock or fear.

Definition in French

Manifester, par un mouvement involontaire bref, une réaction de surprise, de douleur ou d'émotion.

Word origin

Tressaillir comes through Old French tresaillir, formed from tres- and saillir, which descends from Latin salire, 'to leap', linking the verb to a sudden bodily spring.

Usage tips

  • Tressaillir commonly takes de before the cause or emotion, as in tressaillir de joie, de peur, or de douleur.

Other meanings

  • flinchverb

Related words

  • tressaillementstartnoun
  • tressaillantstartledadjective

Word lists with this word