10 Words That Don't Exist In The Dictionary But We Use All The Time.
Do you know how many words there are in the French language?
About 100,000 words! Not bad isn't it?
And yet, regularly, we invent new ones! These are called neologisms.
The problem is that these words are not French and in addition, they replace words that already exist.
Some of these words end up in the dictionary ... and some don't!
here is 10 words that do not exist in the dictionary but that we use all the time. Look :
1. Nominate
At the Caesar ceremony, for example, we nominate hard! And yet, this word does not belong to our linguistic heritage. It is an Anglicism. It comes from the English "nominee" (candidate in French). The Hollywood effect, no doubt ... So instead of nominating artists, jurors, please say "nominated".
2. Flee
This is undoubtedly a neologism. It is a term often used by journalists or police to indicate that there is a leak in a court case. For example, such information was leaked during an investigation. It might be "James Bond" but it doesn't exist!
3. Apply
Want some advice? Avoid applying for a position. You risk getting caught immediately. Why ? Because there is no such thing as applying! Instead, say "apply", "be a candidate for," "seek a position" or "apply".
4. Procrastinator
Weird that word, isn't it? Normal it does not exist! If you want to designate a person encrusted in the back of their couch eating crisps while plugged into Netflix… the word "lazy" is much more appropriate.
5. Abracadabrantesque
If this word, which contains no less than 18 letters, is not unknown to you, it is because Jacques Chirac made it famous during an interview with the television news. Yet he is not the inventor of this word. The authorship of this neologism belongs to Arthur Rimbaud, in his poem The Tortured Heart. And that, it throws, right? But you will have a hard time finding it in the dico of the French Academy.
6. Confusing
Another Anglicism! No, the verb confuser does not exist in French, you see us confused. Confusing probably comes from the English "confusing" or "confused".
7. Generate
The Latin word genus (genre) spawned the French words "gene" or "generation". We often use "generate", and yet we shouldn't. Why ? Because according to the French Academy, which we trust, generating should only be used in certain scientific specialties. In other areas, it is better to use "generate", "produce" or "cause". Generate has undoubtedly spread into the everyday French language under the influence of English "to generate".
8. Dangerousness
We know danger, dangerous ... but dangerousness ... no! It grazes our sensitive ears. Better to say the dangerous nature of something. It takes longer, but it has the merit of being correct.
9. Solve
If you can't solve a problem, that's okay. This is because there is no such thing as a solution. According to the Académie française, to solve comes from irregularities in the conjugation of the verb to solve. Some have found it easier to use solve than solve. But to speak French well, it is better to learn its conjugations and conjugate the verb solve without making mistakes!
10. Unreachable
Why invent new words when you already have the inaccessible word that says exactly the same thing? Or even better, "out of reach". It's prettier, isn't it? Finally, be aware, however, that this adjective is not incorrect, but it is not a very good language, according to the French Academy. It was Stendhal who invented it by mixing French and English.
Results
And there you have it, you now know the 10 words that do not officially exist in the French language but that we use all the time :-)
Know that there are at least 200 that we use every day or almost and that are not in the dicos.
If you are interested in this subject, I recommend this book: The dictionary of words that do not (still) exist by Olivier Talon and Gilles Vervisch.
Your turn…
Do you know any other words that don't exist but that we use every day? Share them in the comments with us. We can't wait to hear from you!
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Also to discover:
13 French faults that everyone makes (and which tear their ears out).
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