Words that start with the word french

B letter B un baba cool (inf) — hippy le babeurre buttermilk le bac le baccalauréat; ferry, tub, trough, vat bâcler to botch, scamp, throw together badiner to banter, jest des bagages luggage la bagarre fight, brawl bagarrer (inf) — to fight, clash, argue bagatelle trinket une bagnole (inf) — car une bague ring une bague de fiançailles engagement ring une baguette French bread, baton, chopstick un bahut sideboard; (inf) — school, taxi, truck une baignoire bathtub un bain bathtub le bain moussant bubble bath baiser to kiss; (vulgar slang) — to outdo, to be had; to have sex balader (inf) — to trail around, to take for a walk un balai broom, brush balbutier to stammer, babble le balcon balcony balèze brawny, strapping une balise beacon, buoy, sign les balivernes (f) nonsense une balle bullet, ball, shot une banane banana un banc a bench, seat; shoal/school (of fish) bancaire (adj) bank bandant (fam adj) — sexy, interesting une bande band, strip, bandage, line, group; (inf) — a bunch of, pack of la banlieue suburbs, outskirts la banque bank la baraque shed, hut, stand, stall; (inf) — a shack, digs, dump le baratin (inf) — sweet talk, chatter une barbiche goatee barrer to bar, block, close, cross out une barrette barrette des bas (m) stockings la base (demaquillage) foundation le basket basketball le baume démêlant conditioner bavarder to chat, chatter; (inf) — to blab baver to dribble, to leak; (fam) — to have a hard time baveux (adj) — dribbly, slobbery, runny, blurry une bavure smudge, smear, hitch, flaw béant (adj) gaping, wide-open beau (adj) — handsome beau (adj) — nice out beaucoup very much, many, a lot un beauf (fam) — brother-in-law; a small-minded person Beaujolais nouveau   bec beak, bill, nib bée (in bouche bée) open-mouthed bégayer to stammer, stutter un béguin (inf) — crush, fancy, also a bonnet Belge Belgian belle (adj) — pretty bénévole (adj) — volunteer, unpaid un bénévole volunteer bénir to bless, to thank God for Benjamin Benjamin le benjamin the youngest child, youngest son Benoît Benedict une béquille crutch, kick-stand, (nautical) prop, shore bercer to rock, cradle la berezina disaster berk (inf exclamation) — yuck! Bernadette   Bernard Bernard berner to fool, hoax, dupe Bertrand Bertrand, Bertram la besogne work, task, job (avoir) besoin de to need une bestiole bug, creepy crawler bête (adj) — stupid, silly, foolish une bête

animal, insect, creature

une bêtise stupidity, mistake, blunder, silly thing, nonsense le béton concrete le beurre butter une bévue blunder un bibelot trinket, knick-knack, curio un biberon baby bottle bicher (inf) — to be pleased with oneself bichonner to pamper une bicyclette bicycle bidon can, tin, flask bidonner (fam) to split one’s sides laughing bidule (inf) contraption, whatsit; what’s-his-name bien

good, moral, right, healthy

bien cuit well done bien étrange quite strange la bière beer le bifteck steak les bijoux (m) jewelry un bikini bikini le bilan assessment, results, balance sheet un billet ticket; bill, note (money) un billet aller-retour round trip ticket un billet simple one-way ticket biologique (adj) — biological, organic bis grayish-brown; (music) repeat; (address) ½, a le biscuit cookie (année) bissextile leap (year) le bizutage (school slang) hazing, ragging blafard pale, pallid, wan une blague a joke, trick, blunder blanc white la blanchisserie laundromat un blason coat of arms, heraldry un bled (inf, even slang) — village, dump, godforsaken place blesser to wound, hurt, injure; to offend bleu blue, rare bleu clair light blue bleu foncé dark blue bloc block, unit, group, pad (of paper) blond (adj) — blond un blouson jacket bluffer (inf) — to bluff, try it on, fool un bobo (inf, baby language) — boo boo, owie, wound une bobonne (inf and somewhat archaic) — missus, dearie boire to drink le bois wood une boisson drink une boîte box, can; (inf) — nightclub; job, office; school boiter to limp, to wobble, to be shaky un bol bowl bon good ah bon (interj) — oh really? (not «oh good») bon appétit ! enjoy your meal les bonbons (m) candy Bonjour Hello Bonne nuit Goodnight Bonsoir Good evening Bordeaux   un bordel (fam) — mess, chaos; (literal) — brothel borné (adj) — narrow-minded, limited bosser (inf) — to work, slog, to perform hard labor des bottes (f) boots le bottin directory, phonebook, Yellow Pages bouc billy goat, goatee la bouche mouth une bouchée mouthful boucher to cork, plug, block un boucher butcher la boucherie butcher shop bouchon cork, stopper, plug, cap; traffic jam bouclé (adj) — curly une boucle d’oreille earring un bouclier shield bouder to sulk, keep away from boudiné (adj) — bursting out of la boue mud bouffer to be full, have volume, (fam) — to wolf-down, gobble bougrement (inf) terribly, really, very bouillant (adj) boiling, scalding, fiery, hotheaded un boulanger

une boulangère baker la boulangerie bakery boulot (adj) — chubby, tubby le boulot (informal) — work, the daily grind boum (interj) — Boom!, Bang! un boum bang, tremendous success une boum party un bouquin (inf) — book bourré (adj) — stuffed, packed; (fam) — drunk, plastered un bourreau torturer une bourrique donkey; (inf) — blockhead, pigheaded person la bourse scholarship, grant; second-hand sale bousculer to jostle, bump into; to hurry, pressure; to liven up la boustifaille (fam) — grub, nosh, chow une bouteille bottle une boutique hors taxes duty-free un bouton de manchette cufflink un boxer-short boxer shorts un bracelet bracelet un bracelet à breloques charm bracelet brancher to plugin, connect, link up branler to shake, waggle; to be shaky, loose, unsteady braquer to point, aim, turn the steering wheel le bras arm brasser

to stir, mix, knead, shuffle; to brew

bravitude fullness of bravery brebis ewe bref (adv) — in short, to make a long story short Brésilien(ne) Brazilian un brevet diploma, certificate, patent le bricolage home improvement, tinkering, DIY; rush/makeshift job Brigitte Bridget un brin blade, sprig, yarn, a bit briser to break, smash; ruin, wreck; tire out une broche brooch bronzé (adj) — tan la brosse à cheveux hairbrush la brosse à dents toothbrush se brosser to brush se brosser les cheveux to brush one’s hair se brosser les dents to brush one’s teeth brouter to graze, to nibble; (slang) to be annoying bruiner to drizzle brûlures burn, burning sensation brun (adj) — brown (hair, eyes) Bruno   brut (adj) — uncut, rough, crude, raw bu drank la bûche log bûcher to slog away at, to swot up; (Canada) to fell, cut down le bureau office, study le bureau de change money exchange buriner to engrave, chisel un but goal, aim, purpose, destination buter to stumble; (fam) — to bump off, kill