Accordéclair
l' éclair
lightning
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How do you say éclair in French?
How do you pronounce éclair in French?
éclair is pronounced /leklɛʁ/ in French.
Example sentences
Le bel éclair illumina tout le ciel nocturne.
The beautiful lightning bolt illuminated the entire night sky.
Cet éclair blanc et puissant était vraiment spectaculaire.
This white and powerful lightning bolt was truly spectacular.
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Why is it masculine?
Éclair is masculine. While it does derive from Old French "esclaire" and Latin roots related to brightness/clarity, the specific claim about "exclarare" (to brighten) is not well-supported. The word likely comes from Latin "ex-" + "clarus" (clear/bright), developing into the Old French noun "esclaire." The masculine gender is simply the gender this noun took in Old French and has retained in Modern French, though the specific mechanism of gender assignment from Latin is not clearly determined by this particular etymological path.
What is the French word for lightning?
The French word for lightning is l' éclair — masculine.
Gender across languages
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