aviron
/a.vi.ʁɔ̃/masculine
In French, rowing is aviron.
aviron refers to the sport of rowing. To describe someone who practices this sport, you use the term rameur for a male or rameuse for a female. In certain technical contexts, aviron can also refer to the oar itself.
Meaning: the sport (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
When expressing that you participate in or practice the sport, use the verbal phrase faire de l'aviron (to do/practice rowing).
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /a.vi.ʁɔ̃/ and consists of 3 syllables.
Did you know?
- The French verb ramer can be used figuratively to describe someone who is struggling or having a very hard time achieving a goal.
- While aviron is the official term for the sport, French people often use the word rameur to describe a rowing machine in a gym, even though it literally means 'rower'.
- The diminutive suffix '-on' in aviron suggests that the word historically evolved from a term meaning a 'small oar'.
Examples in context
- Ziri a fait de l'aviron.Ziri did rowing.This sentence is useful for saying someone did rowing using aviron.Tatoeba #11685570 by Amastan, translation #11050629 by Amastan
- Ziri avait une séance d'entraînement d'aviron.Ziri had rowing practice.This sentence is useful for describing a rowing training session using aviron.Tatoeba #12482002 by always, translation #11050632 by Amastan
- L'aviron est un sport passionnant.Rowing is an exciting sport.
Example conversation
Gabriel and Manon are discussing their favorite hobbies.
- GabrielEst-ce que tu aimes l'aviron, Manon ?Do you like rowing, Manon?
- ManonOui, j'adore ça ! Et toi, Gabriel ?Yes, I love it! And you, Gabriel?
- GabrielJe préfère le tennis à l'aviron.I prefer tennis to rowing.
- ManonC'est vrai, c'est différent.That's true, it's different.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “rowing” translations and entries aviron, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries aviron, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
