How to Say "Pickle" in French

cornichon

/kɔʁ.ni.ʃɔ̃/masculine

The French word for pickle is cornichon.

While cornichon primarily refers to a preserved cucumber, it is also used in a slang capacity to describe a silly or foolish person.

Meaning: preserved cucumber (noun)

Related words

cornichon is a masculine noun. The related verb saler means to preserve food in a solution of salt, sugar or vinegar.

/kɔʁ.ni.ʃɔ̃/. It has 3 syllables.

The word cornichon is derived from the Old French word corne, meaning 'horn', because of the curved shape of the vegetable.
Unlike in the US where pickles are often a sandwich topping, cornichons are rarely put inside a sandwich in France.
In a traditional French 'charcuterie' board, cornichons are served specifically to cleanse the palate between bites of fatty meats.

Richard s'est transformé en cornichon.
Richard turned himself into a pickle.
This sentence uses cornichon to illustrate a figurative transformation.
Tatoeba #13226149 by menaud, translation #13226151 by menaud
J'ai trouvé ce cornichon sur le sol. Dois-je le manger ?
I found this pickle on the floor. Should I eat it?
This sentence shows cornichon being used in a literal context regarding finding food.
Tatoeba #6622974 by Eccles17, translation #6622970 by Eccles17
Je vais ajouter des cornichons à ma salade.
I'm going to add pickles to my salad.
Tu veux un petit cornichon avec ton sandwich?
Do you want a little pickle with your sandwich?
Nous avons utilisé du vinaigre pour faire des conserves de légumes.
We used vinegar to pickle vegetables.
Je voudrais un cornichon avec mon sandwich.
I would like a pickle with my sandwich.
1 more sentence on Tatoeba

Emma and Lucas are preparing a snack.

Sources

Wiktionary, “pickle” translations and entries cornichon, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
Word origins: Wiktionary entries cornichon, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.

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