Bonjour à toutes et à tous ! Welcome to our weekly word study, where we learn and analyze a specific word in French.
Today’s word : Charivari in French.
Charivari in French – Écouter
The word Charivari in French is a noun. What does it mean?
Charivari in French – Meaning
1. Bruit assourdissant, vacarme excessif.
Charivari in French can be translated to “deafening noise” or “hullabaloo”.
Exemple : Il y a un affreux charivari dans cette maison. (There is an awful hullabaloo in this house.)
Where does the word Charivari in French come from?
“Charivari” is a masculine noun and comes from the Greek term “karebaria“, which means “headache”. The original meaning of the word charivari was actually related to the huge noise people used to make in the French countryside after a wedding or one’s misconduct. As a sign of reprobation, they would make as much noise as possible by banging on kitchen utensils, screaming or blowing loudly in whistles. This was common when a widow or widower would remarry, for example.
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Construct sentences with Charivari
The noun Charivari in French is a masculine noun. We say, un charivari, le charivari. Therefore, you need to pay attention to the articles and also to the gender if you need to apply adjectives to it.
Example : Je ne supporte pas ce charivari ! (I can’t stand this hullabaloo!)
This word is not very common in spoken French, as it can sound too old. I wouldn’t be surprised to know that the younger generations don’t know it.
Conclusion
I hope you enjoyed this week’s word. If you would like to check out more words, click here!
