Kilo Lingo

l'

feminine

/a.lɛʁt/

Line drawing of alerte
Coloured illustration of alerte
#1698 of 5,000 Core 5000

Translation

alert, alarm, warning; (as an adjective) sprightly

Word origin

From Italian all'erta ('on the lookout'), literally 'on the height', from erta ('steep slope'), from Latin erigere ('to raise up'). It entered French as a soldier's cry and became first an adverb, then a noun and an adjective.

Origin
Italian
Root
all'erta
English cognates
alert, erect

Grammar

Genderfeminine
Pluralalertes

Examples

L' .

The alarm was raised at around midnight.

.

The fire brigade has been on alert since this morning.

météo .

A weather warning has been issued across the whole region.

' ' .

It was only a false alarm.

-vingts , .

At eighty, she is still very sprightly.

Where this fits

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French · Free printables

alerte: worksheet, infographic and listicle

Free printable study downloads for the French word "alerte" (alert, alarm, warning; (as an adjective) sprightly): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.

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This word is part of lesson 34.