diabète
/dja.bɛt/masculine
The French word for diabetes is diabète.
diabète refers to the group of metabolic diseases known as diabetes. In more specific medical contexts, you may encounter more precise terms such as Diabète sucré for diabetes mellitus, Diabète de type 1 for type 1 diabetes, Diabète de type 2 for type 2 diabetes or Diabète gestationnel for gestational diabetes.
Meaning: A group of metabolic diseases (noun)
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Quebec, Canada, the informal term le sucre may be used to refer to diabetes.
How does it change in a sentence?
diabète is a masculine noun. When discussing the disease in a general sense, it is almost always preceded by the definite article le, forming le diabète.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has two syllables and is pronounced /dja.bɛt/.
Did you know?
- The word diabète comes from the Ancient Greek word meaning 'passing through', which refers to how urine passes through the body in high volumes.
- French medical terminology distinguishes diabète sucré from other forms to specify 'sweetness' in the urine, a legacy of early diagnostic methods.
- The word diabète is a 'learned' word, meaning it entered French through Latin from Greek rather than evolving naturally from spoken Vulgar Latin.
Examples in context
- Le diabète est en partie génétique.Diabetes is partially genetic.This sentence illustrates a statement about the genetic nature of diabète.Tatoeba #13752540 by Rovo, translation #13751009 by rul
- Les figues aident à prévenir le diabète.Figs help to prevent diabetes.This sentence shows how figs can assist in the prevention of diabète.Tatoeba #12141252 by always, translation #9771264 by Amastan
- Vous a-t-on déjà diagnostiqué un diabète ?Have you ever been diagnosed with diabetes?This sentence demonstrates how to ask if someone has been diagnosed with diabète.Tatoeba #9889432 by Micsmithel, translation #9849580 by NurseMeeks
- 4 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Emma and Nathan are discussing their family health histories.
- EmmaEst-ce que le diabète est courant dans ta famille ?Is diabetes common in your family?
- NathanOui, mon père a le diabète depuis longtemps.Yes, my father has had diabetes for a long time.
- EmmaC'est difficile à gérer au quotidien ?Is it difficult to manage on a daily basis?
- NathanIl fait attention à son alimentation et ça va.He watches his diet and it's fine.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “diabetes” translations and entries diabète, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries diabète, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
