le
/ma.lœʁ/
Translation
misfortune, bad luck, unhappiness
Word origin
From Old French mal eür, that is mal ('bad') plus eür ('fortune, omen'), which comes from Latin augurium ('augury, sign'). Bonheur is built the same way with bon ('good'), so the two words are exact opposites in form as well as in sense.
- Origin
- Latin
- Root
- augurium
- English cognates
- augury, inaugurate
Grammar
Examples
.
Misfortune is the opposite of happiness.
' .
Misfortune never comes alone.
.
She had the misfortune to lose her job just before Christmas.
, .
As bad luck would have it, the train had already left.
l'.
He tells his troubles to anyone willing to listen.
Where this fits
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malheur: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the French word "malheur" (misfortune, bad luck, unhappiness): 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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Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 39.