dentelle
/dɑ̃.tɛl/feminine
In French, lace is dentelle.
If you want to describe an object as being made of lace, such as a garment or curtains, use the preposition en before the noun, resulting in the phrase en dentelle.
Meaning: fabric (noun)
Which one should you use?
The noun dentelle refers specifically to the fabric, whereas the related verb lacer refers to the action of tying or fastening with laces.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
Because dentelle is a feminine uncountable noun, you use the partitive article de la to say some lace or to refer to lace in a general sense.
How do you pronounce it?
/dɑ̃.tɛl/. The word has 2 syllables.
Did you know?
- During the 17th century, the French government banned the wearing of dentelle for certain social classes to prevent them from appearing wealthier than their rank allowed.
- In a culinary context, you might encounter dentelle de crêpe, which is a very thin, crispy, lace-like crepe.
- The word dentelle is derived from dent, meaning 'tooth', because the pointed edges of early lace looked like a row of small teeth.
Examples in context
- L’Irlande est réputée pour sa dentelle.Ireland is famous for its lace.This sentence is useful for mentioning that Ireland is famous for its dentelle.Tatoeba #373764 by zmoo, translation #4487317 by AlanF_US
- J'ai acheté des rideaux en dentelle pour la fenêtre de ma chambre.I bought lace curtains for my bedroom window.This sentence shows how to use dentelle to describe curtains.Tatoeba #430929 by JnRouvignac, translation #258771 by CK
- La broderie sur cette robe de mariée est faite de dentelle délicate.The embroidery on this wedding dress is made of delicate lace.
- J'adore la guipure sur cette robe de soirée, elle lui donne une touche d'élégance.I love the guipure on this evening gown, it adds a touch of elegance to it.
- Les dentelles de cette jupe lui confèrent un style romantique.The lace on this skirt gives it a romantic style.
- Elle porte une robe en dentelle blanche.She is wearing a white lace dress.
Example conversation
Léa is showing Gabriel a piece of fabric.
- LéaRegarde ce tissu, c'est de la dentelle.Look at this fabric, it's lace.
- GabrielC'est très joli et très fin.It is very pretty and very fine.
- LéaJe veux coudre de la dentelle sur mon sac.I want to sew some lace on my bag.
- GabrielC'est une excellente idée, Léa.That is an excellent idea, Léa.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “lace” translations and entries dentelle, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries dentelle, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
