glissière
/ɡli.sjɛʁ/
The English word 'chute' is translated into French as glissière.
In French, glissière refers to a parachute. For example, the colloquialism la gamelle is used to describe a fall or a tumble and the informal term la dégringolade is used to convey the idea of a steep decline or fall.
Meaning: parachute (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 2 syllables and is pronounced /ɡli.sjɛʁ/.
Did you know?
- In French literature and drama, the chute refers to the punchline or the unexpected twist at the end of a joke or story.
- The word glissière is the same word used for 'guardrails' on a highway, which describes their function of allowing a vehicle to 'slide' along them.
- In French, 'chute' can also be used in the expression chute de cheveux to mean 'hair loss', turning a dramatic term into a mundane medical one.
Examples in context
- L'accident a provoqué une chute brutale de sa popularité.The accident caused a sudden drop in his popularity.
- Il a pris une gamelle en tombant de son vélo.He took a tumble when falling off his bike.
- Son projet a connu une véritable dégringolade ces derniers mois.His project has experienced a real decline in the past few months.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry glissière, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
