canicule
/ka.ni.kyl/
The French word for heatwave is canicule.
canicule is the most commonly used word in French to describe a heatwave, which is a period of unusually hot and dry weather lasting several days.
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun canicule is feminine and is typically used with the definite article la to form la canicule. When describing something happening throughout the duration of the hot period, the preposition pendant is commonly used, as in pendant la canicule (during the heatwave).
How do you pronounce it?
The word has three syllables and is pronounced /ka.ni.kyl/.
Did you know?
- canicule is a linguistic doublet of chenille, the French word for 'caterpillar', as both share the same Latin root meaning 'little dog'.
- In France, a canicule triggers a formal plan canicule, a government protocol that mandates checking on elderly neighbors and closing windows during the day.
- The word canicule is a 'learned borrowing', meaning it was reintroduced into French by scholars from Latin rather than evolving naturally through common speech.
Examples in context
- Le petit chien a bu toute son eau pendant la canicule.The little dog drank all of his water during the heatwave.This sentence is useful for seeing how to use canicule when describing an event occurring during the heatwave.Tatoeba #6594756 by Eccles17, translation #6593714 by Eccles17
- La canicule de cette année est particulièrement intense.The heatwave of this year is particularly intense.
- La canicule approche à grands pas.The heatwave is fast approaching.
- On a souffert de la canicule l'été dernier.We suffered from the heatwave last summer.
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about the weather forecast.
- LéaIl va faire très chaud cette semaine.It is going to be very hot this week.
- HugoUne canicule est prévue pour tout le week-end.A heatwave is predicted for the whole weekend.
- LéaHugo, tu devrais rester au frais.Hugo, you should stay cool.
- HugoOui, je vais rester au bureau.Yes, I am going to stay in the office.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry canicule, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries canicule, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
I love French but hate grammatical gender! So I’d find it really useful (as I would have right from my very first French lesson in 1967) to have new words given with their gender: fortunately, canicule, vague and chaleur are all feminine.