radeau
/ʁa.do/masculine
The French word for raft is radeau.
A radeau refers to a flat, floating structure.
Meaning: flat, floating structure (noun)
Is it said differently in some regions?
In maritime regions, the expression radeau de sauvetage is used to mean life raft.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural of radeau is radeaux.
How do you pronounce it?
The word consists of two syllables and is pronounced /ʁa.do/.
Did you know?
- In modern French construction, a radeau de fondation is a thick concrete slab used as a foundation to spread the weight of a building across the entire soil surface.
- The famous 1824 painting Le Radeau de la Méduse depicts a real shipwreck where survivors spent thirteen days on a makeshift raft. It is one of the most influential works in French Romanticism.
- The distant linguistic ancestor of radeau is the Latin word 'ratis', which is the root of the English word 'raft'.
Examples in context
- Thomas a construit un radeau.Tom built a raft.This sentence shows how to use radeau in the context of construction.Tatoeba #6850484 by Blabla, translation #6900905 by kaiperkins271
- Le radeau a dérivé loin du rivage.The raft has drifted far off from the shore.This sentence describes the movement of a radeau away from the shore.Tatoeba #11949164 by lbdx, translation #66652 by CM
- Les garçons ont construit un radeau.The boys built a raft.This sentence provides an example of several boys building a radeau.Tatoeba #1906770 by sacredceltic, translation #1905866 by Spamster
- Je suis responsable de l'approvisionnement en radeaux de sauvetage.I am responsible for the supply of life rafts.
- J'ai emprunté un radeau pneumatique pour notre expédition en mer.I borrowed an inflatable raft for our sea expedition.
- 7 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two people are looking at an old wooden raft in a museum.
- NathanRegarde ce vieux radeau en bois.Look at this old wooden raft.
- ManonIl est impressionnant, n'est-ce pas ?It is impressive, isn't it?
- NathanOui, il semble très solide.Yes, it looks very sturdy.
- ManonOn pourrait presque monter dessus.We could almost climb onto it.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “raft” translations and entries radeau, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries radeau, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
