French word

volume

Pronunciation

IPA/volym/

Meaning

  • masculine nounvolume

Example

Peux-tu baisser le volume, s'il te plaît ?

Could you turn down the volume, please?

Illustration for volume (volume)

More examples

J'ai mis le volume à fond pendant le concert.

I turned the volume all the way up during the concert.

Core concept

One adjustable or countable quantity, whether it is sound from a speaker, space in a container, or a bound book.

Common phrases

  • baisser le volume

    turn down the volume

  • monter le volume

    turn up the volume

  • mettre le volume à fond

    turn the volume all the way up

Similar words

son: A particular sound that can be heard, including a voice or sound effect.
bruit: Unpleasant or unnecessary sound from sources such as construction or traffic.
niveau: A sound setting or measurement expressed as a level or value.

Definition in French

Grandeur qui indique l'intensité perçue d'un son et sert à régler le son d'un appareil, tout en pouvant aussi désigner la contenance d'un objet ou un tome.

Word origin

The French noun volume developed from Latin volumen, "a rolled thing," extending from the idea of a scroll to a book, capacity, and sound intensity.

Usage tips

  • Volume refers to sound level, while son usually refers to sound itself, so le volume and le son are not interchangeable in every context.

Other meanings

  • capacitynoun

Opposites

Related words

  • volumineuxbulkyadjective
  • volumineusementbulkilyadverb

Word lists with this word