chapelet
/ʃa.plɛ/
The English phrase "rosary" is translated into French as chapelet or rosaire.
Meaning: Catholic prayer beads (noun)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA |
|---|---|
| chapelet | /ʃa.plɛ/ |
| rosaire | /ʁo.zɛʁ/ |
Both words refer to the Catholic prayer beads, but they are used in different contexts depending on whether you are discussing the object or the practice.
Which one should you use?
chapelet is the most common term used when referring to the physical object of the prayer beads. In contrast, rosaire is more often used to refer to the specific set of prayers or the spiritual devotion itself.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation of chapelet is /ʃa.plɛ/. It has two syllables.
Did you know?
- In French, the word chapelet can be used colloquially to describe a long, repetitive series of things, such as a chapelet d'insultes or 'string of insults'.
- The term chapelet derives from the word chapel (chapelle), which originally referred to a small hat or hood worn by clergy.
- French speakers may use chapelet to describe a chain of small islands, referring to their appearance as beads on a string.
Examples in context
- La vieille femme égrenait chaque perle de son chapelet avec une profonde dévotion.The old woman fingered each bead of her rosary with deep devotion.This sentence shows how the word chapelet is used to describe the physical act of using the beads.Tatoeba #819605 by sacredceltic, translation #595801 by darinmex
- Maria aime réciter le chapelet chaque soir avant de se coucher.Maria enjoys reciting the rosary every evening before going to bed.
- Julien porte toujours un rosaire autour de son poignet.Julien always wears a rosary around his wrist.
- Vous savez, il m'a offert un chapelet vraiment joli lors de son dernier voyage.You know, he gave me a really nice rosary on his last trip.
- Elle a trouvé son chapelet dans son sac.She found her rosary in her bag.
- Le chapelet est posé sur la table.The rosary is lying on the table.
Example conversation
Gabriel and Manon are cleaning the living room.
- GabrielManon, est-ce que ce chapelet est à toi ?Manon, is this rosary yours?
- ManonOui, merci de l'avoir ramassé, Gabriel.Yes, thank you for picking it up, Gabriel.
- GabrielJe vais le poser sur le buffet.I will put it on the sideboard.
- ManonC'est parfait, merci beaucoup.That's perfect, thank you very much.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “rosary” translations and entries chapelet, rosaire, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries chapelet, rosaire, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
