phoque
/fɔk/masculine
The English phrase sealskin is translated into French as phoque.
The term refers to a type of fabric made from the skin of seals.
Meaning: type of fabric made from the skin of seals (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
To express the plural 'sealskins', you pluralize the word for skin (peaux) instead of the word for seal (phoque), resulting in peaux de phoque.
How do you pronounce it?
/fɔk/
Did you know?
- The French word phoque is a homophone for the English profanity 'fuck'.
- The word phoque entered French through Latin phōca, which was originally borrowed from Ancient Greek phṓkē.
Examples in context
- Regarde mon nouveau blouson en cuir de phoque, il est trop cool!Look at my new sealskin leather jacket, it is too cool!
- Elle porte une veste en phoque.She is wearing a sealskin jacket.
Example conversation
Manon and Hugo are looking at winter accessories in a shop.
- ManonRegarde ce sac en phoque, Hugo.Look at this sealskin bag, Hugo.
- HugoIl a l'air très solide et élégant.It looks very sturdy and elegant.
- ManonLe phoque est vraiment un matériau durable.Sealskin is truly a durable material.
- HugoC'est vrai, c'est un excellent choix.That's true, it's an excellent choice.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “sealskin” translations and entries phoque, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries phoque, CC BY-SA 4.0.
