French word

vocabulaire

Pronunciation

IPA/vokabylɛʁ/

Meaning

  • masculine nounvocabulary

Example

Il faut enrichir ton vocabulaire.

You need to expand your vocabulary.

Illustration for vocabulaire (vocabulary)

More examples

Son vocabulaire s'améliore chaque semaine.

His vocabulary improves every week.

Core concept

A mental shelf holding the words and expressions available for different conversations.

Common phrases

  • élargir son vocabulaire

    expand one's vocabulary

  • un vocabulaire riche

    a rich vocabulary

  • le vocabulaire de base

    basic vocabulary

Similar words

mot: A single word that conveys a meaning.
lexique: A list of terms covered in a field or learning material.
expression: A group of words forming one idiomatic expression.

Definition in French

Vocabulaire désigne l'ensemble des mots et locutions qu'un locuteur comprend et mobilise dans des situations de communication.

Word origin

French vocabulaire comes from Medieval Latin vocabularium, formed from vocabulum for an individual word and a suffix marking a collection.

Usage tips

  • Vocabulaire is masculine, so standard forms include un vocabulaire riche and le vocabulaire médical.

Other meanings

  • vocabulary listnoun
  • terminologynoun

Word lists with this word