tarmac
/taʁ.mak/masculine
The French word for tarmac is tarmac.
tarmac refers to an area of an airport where planes park or maneuver.
Meaning: area of an airport, where planes park or maneuver (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
/taʁ.mak/
Did you know?
- The English root 'macadam' inside tarmac comes from the name of John Loudon McAdam, a Scottish engineer who revolutionized road building.
- While tarmac is used in aviation, French speakers often use bitume or enrobé when talking about the material used for ordinary roads.
- Despite being a loanword, tarmac follows standard French gender rules and is always used with the masculine article le.
Examples in context
- Les avions seront stationnés sur le revêtement aéronautique.The planes will be parked on the tarmac.
- Le tarmac est très chaud aujourd'hui.The tarmac is very hot today.
- L'avion roule lentement sur le tarmac.The plane is taxiing slowly on the tarmac.
- Il y a beaucoup de véhicules sur le tarmac.There are many vehicles on the tarmac.
Example conversation
Emma and Hugo are watching planes from an airport observation deck.
- EmmaRegarde cet avion sur le tarmac, Hugo.Look at that plane on the tarmac, Hugo.
- HugoOui, il est impressionnant.Yes, it is impressive.
- EmmaLe tarmac semble immense de là-haut.The tarmac looks huge from up here.
- HugoC'est vrai, c'est un espace énorme.That's true, it's a huge space.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “tarmac” translations and entries tarmac, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries tarmac, CC BY-SA 4.0.
