Grande Faucheuse
feminine
The English phrase "grim reaper" is translated into French as Grande Faucheuse. Wiktionary also lists Faucheuse and Mort.
Meaning: personification of Death (name)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Grande Faucheuse | feminine | |
| Faucheuse | /fo.ʃøz/ | feminine |
| Mort | /mɔʁ/ | feminine |
| ange de la mort | /ɑ̃ʒ də la mɔʁ/ | masculine |
These terms are used to personify Death. You might use Faucheuse to refer to the reaper, while Mort is a feminine way to refer to death itself.
Which one should you use?
la Grande Faucheuse emphasizes the personification of death as a harvester, whereas ange de la mort is a more literal description of an entity or messenger of death.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In the context of Breton folklore in Brittany, France, the figure is known as L'Ankou.
How does it change in a sentence?
The personification is grammatically feminine, so the definite article la is used instead of le.
Did you know?
- While Faucheuse refers to the reaper, the word mort is feminine when it personifies Death, but masculine when it refers to a dead person.
- The word ange comes from the Ancient Greek ángelos, which originally meant 'messenger'.
Examples in context
- « C'est la guerre », déclara la Grande Faucheuse tout en déposant sa faux dans un coin pour monter sur une moissonneuse-batteuse."It's war," said the Grim Reaper and put his scythe aside to get onto the combine harvester.This sentence is useful for seeing how Faucheuse is used in a narrative context.Tatoeba #3465371 by GB3, translation #3465303 by Plusquamperfekt
- La Faucheuse vient chercher les âmes des défunts.The Grim Reaper comes to collect the souls of the departed.
- Les légendes bretonnes racontent que l'Ankou hante les cimetières.Breton legends tell that the Ankou haunts cemeteries.
- La Grande Faucheuse attend son heure.The Grim Reaper waits for her time.
- Il a peur de la Grande Faucheuse.He is afraid of the Grim Reaper.
Example conversation
Lucas and Manon are discussing a spooky horror movie.
- LucasLa Grande Faucheuse est terrifiante dans ce film.The Grim Reaper is terrifying in this movie.
- ManonOui, elle fait vraiment peur, Lucas.Yes, she is really scary, Lucas.
- LucasJe n'aime pas ce genre d'histoire.I do not like this kind of story.
- ManonMoi non plus, c'est trop sombre.Me neither, it is too dark.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “grim reaper” translations and entries Faucheuse, ange de la mort, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Pronunciation from the Wiktionary entry mort.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Faucheuse, ange, de, la, mort, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
