mousse
/mus/feminine
The French word for moss is mousse.
mousse refers to the plants of the division Bryophyta. It is also a polysemous word, meaning it can refer to foam, froth or mousse (as in food or hair product).
Meaning: plants of the division Bryophyta (noun)
Which one should you use?
The word mousse also refers to foam, froth or mousse (as in food or hair product).
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun mousse is feminine, so you use the feminine article la.
How do you pronounce it?
/mus/
Did you know?
- The word mousse can also refer to a cabin boy or a young apprentice on a ship.
- The maritime meaning of mousse was borrowed from the Spanish word mozo, meaning a young man.
- The plant mousse belongs to the feminine gender, whereas the nautical mousse referring to a boy is masculine.
Examples in context
- Pierre qui roule n’amasse pas mousse.A rolling stone gathers no moss.This sentence shows a common French proverb equivalent to 'A rolling stone gathers no moss.'Tatoeba #12876921 by Orange, translation #279026 by CM
- La mousse pousse du côté nord d'un arbre.Moss grows on the north side of a tree.This sentence is useful for describing where moss grows on a tree.Tatoeba #13130297 by lbdx, translation #10085161 by espamatics
- Elles s'assirent sur des rochers couverts de mousse.They sat down on some moss-covered rocks.This sentence shows how to describe rocks covered in mousse.Tatoeba #13130312 by lbdx, translation #11721221 by Nuel
- J'ai trouvé de la mousse dans le jardinI found some moss in the garden
- La mousse végétale adoucit le sol humideVegetal moss softens the damp ground
- Les pierres sont couvertes de mousse verteThe stones are covered in green moss
- 6 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Manon and Gabriel are hiking in a damp forest.
- ManonRegarde cette mousse toute verte !Look at this bright green moss!
- GabrielElle est très douce au toucher.It is very soft to the touch.
- ManonOn peut s'asseoir sur la mousse.We can sit on the moss.
- GabrielOui, c'est une bonne idée.Yes, that is a good idea.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “moss” translations and entries mousse, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries mousse, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
