raie à aiguillon
feminine
The English word "stingray" is raie à aiguillon in French. Wiktionary also lists pastenague.
Meaning: venomous ray of the orders Rajiformes and Myliobatiformes (noun)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| raie à aiguillon | feminine | |
| pastenague | /pas.tə.naɡ/ | feminine |
The term refers to a venomous ray belonging to the orders Rajiformes and Myliobatiformes.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase raie à aiguillon literally means "ray with a stinger".
Which one should you use?
Raie à aiguillon is the common, descriptive term for a stingray, while pastenague is a more specific and technical name used for certain species of stingray.
How does it change in a sentence?
When making the phrase raie à aiguillon plural, only the noun raie takes a plural form, resulting in raies à aiguillon. For the term pastenague, the plural is pastenagues.
Did you know?
- The technical term pastenague is actually a linguistic relative of the word for 'parsnip', which is panais in French.
- In French, the word raie is a homonym that also means 'parting' as in hair or 'stripe'.
Examples in context
- Les raies pastenagues sont des habitants communs des eaux tropicales.Stingrays are common inhabitants of tropical waters.
- On aperçoit souvent des raies près du récif.Stingrays are often spotted near the reef.
- Il y a une raie à aiguillon dans ce bassin.There is a stingray in this tank.
- La raie à aiguillon est un animal fascinant.The stingray is a fascinating animal.
- Attention à la raie à aiguillon sur le sable.Watch out for the stingray on the sand.
Example conversation
Emma and Gabriel are visiting a large public aquarium.
- EmmaRegarde cette magnifique raie à aiguillon, Gabriel !Look at this magnificent stingray, Gabriel!
- GabrielElle est vraiment impressionnante dans ce grand aquarium.She is really impressive in this large aquarium.
- EmmaEst-ce qu'elle est dangereuse pour nous ?Is she dangerous to us?
- GabrielPas si on reste derrière la vitre.Not if we stay behind the glass.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “stingray” translations and entries pastenague, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries aiguillon, pastenague, raie, à, CC BY-SA 4.0.
