French word

type

Pronunciation

IPA/tip/

Meaning

  • masculine nounkind

Example

Il existe plusieurs types de fromage en France.

There are several kinds of cheese in France.

Illustration for type (kind)

More examples

De quel type de travail s'agit-il ?

What type of work is it?

Core concept

A label for sorting things by their form, nature, or defining traits.

Common phrases

  • quel type de

    what type of ___

  • plusieurs types de

    several types of ___

  • un type courant

    a common type

Similar words

sorte: A distinct kind within a broader group of things.
genre: A broad division based on the style or features of works or things.
catégorie: A named group formed according to a classification criterion.
forme: A kind distinguished by its appearance or structure.

Definition in French

Catégorie, sorte ou modèle qui permet d'identifier la nature ou le genre d'un élément.

Word origin

French type comes through Latin typus from Greek typos, and its original sense of form or model developed into the modern sense of category.

Usage tips

  • In everyday French, un type can also mean a guy, so context separates this colloquial personal sense from the category sense.

Other meanings

  • modelnoun

Related words

Word lists with this word