raton laveur
/ʁa.tɔ̃ la.vœʁ/
The French word for racoon is raton laveur.
raton laveur refers to the nocturnal mammal with a masked face and a ringed tail native to North America.
What does it mean word for word?
The term is a combination of raton, which is the diminutive form of the word for rat and laveur, which comes from the verb for washing. Literally, it means 'little rat washer'.
How does it change in a sentence?
When expressing the plural form, both the noun raton and the adjective laveur must take an 's' to become ratons laveurs.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /ʁa.tɔ̃ la.vœʁ/. It consists of three syllables.
Did you know?
- The noun raton is not only used for raccoons but is also the standard French word for a baby rat.
- The second part of the name, laveur, shares its Latin ancestor with the English word 'lavatory', which relates to the act of washing.
- Because raccoons are native to North America, the French word raton laveur is a loan-translation of the English concept rather than a word derived from ancient European wildlife.
Examples in context
- Un raton laveur volait le poisson.A racoon was stealing the fish.This sentence shows the use of raton laveur as a subject in a sentence about stealing.Tatoeba #11876547 by zogwarg, translation #11303368 by Amastan
- Que fait le raton laveur dans la cuisine ?What is the racoon doing in the kitchen?This sentence shows the use of raton laveur to ask about an animal's actions in a specific location.Tatoeba #1512690 by Rovo, translation #1515965 by marco87
- J'ai vu un raton laveur dans le jardin.I saw a raccoon in the garden.
Example conversation
Emma and Hugo are looking at a nature documentary.
- EmmaRegarde ce petit raton laveur, il est mignon.Look at that little raccoon, it is cute.
- HugoOui, mais il a l'air très malin.Yes, but he looks very clever.
- EmmaIl cherche sûrement de la nourriture.He is probably looking for food.
- HugoC'est vrai, ils sont très gourmands.That's true, they are very greedy.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry raton laveur, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries laveur, raton, raton laveur, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
