le
/de.ʃɛ/
Translation
rubbish, waste
Word origin
From déchoir ('to fall away, to decline'), from Latin decadere. English decay descends from the same Latin verb, by way of Old French.
- Origin
- Latin
- Root
- decadere
- English cognates
- decay
Grammar
Examples
trier .
You have to sort your rubbish before throwing it away.
polluent .
Plastic waste pollutes the oceans.
collecte .
The town has brought in a new waste collection system.
Kept as its own lemma page in the plural, on the same pattern as vacances and gens: the singular déchet exists and means one specific scrap or piece of waste, but everyday and environmental French almost always reaches for the plural, exactly as English treats "rubbish" as a mass noun rather than counting it piece by piece.
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déchets: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the French word "déchets" (rubbish, waste): 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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