feu de forêt
/fø d(ə) fɔ.ʁɛ/masculine
The English word 'wildfire' is translated into French as feu de forêt. Wiktionary also lists FdF and incendie de forêt.
Meaning: rapidly spreading fire (noun)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| feu de forêt | /fø d(ə) fɔ.ʁɛ/ | masculine |
| FdF | jargon, masculine | |
| incendie de forêt | masculine |
The term refers to a rapidly spreading fire (noun).
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase feu de forêt is composed of feu (fire) and de forêt (of forest).
Which one should you use?
While feu de forêt is a more common, general term, incendie de forêt is often used in more formal or administrative contexts (such as news reports or emergency services) to describe a large-scale forest fire.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
FdF is an abbreviation used primarily by emergency services and professionals in France to refer to feu de forêt.
How does it change in a sentence?
All forms provided are masculine nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
/fø d(ə) fɔ.ʁɛ/
Did you know?
- In French, the word feu can also mean 'late' when used before a person's name, such as le feu roi, to indicate they have passed away. This comes from a completely different Latin root, 'fatum', meaning 'destiny'.
- The word forêt in feu de forêt originally referred to a legal status of land rather than just a collection of trees, coming from the Latin word for 'outside'.
- In French, the word incendie is used specifically for a destructive fire, whereas feu can refer to something controlled like a campfire.
Examples in context
- Le village était menacé par un immense feu de forêt.The village was threatened by a vast wildfire.This sentence shows how to use feu de forêt to describe a threat to a village.Tatoeba #11354294 by lbdx, translation #9397464 by Nylez
- L'histoire s'est répandue comme un feu de forêt.The story spread like wildfire.This sentence demonstrates a figurative use of the phrase feu de forêt to describe how a story spreads.Tatoeba #13995433 by Adelpa, translation #13286656 by Adelpa
- Les pompiers travaillent dur pour maîtriser le feu de forêt près de la ville.The firefighters are working hard to control the wildfire near the city.
- La région est malheureusement sujette aux incendies de forêt en cette période de l'année.The region is unfortunately prone to wildfires during this time of the year.
Example conversation
Lucas and Emma are watching the news on TV.
- LucasRegarde, il y a un feu de forêt en Californie.Look, there is a wildfire in California.
- EmmaC'est terrible, j'espère que tout le monde est en sécurité.That's terrible, I hope everyone is safe.
- LucasLe vent propage le feu de forêt très rapidement.The wind is spreading the wildfire very quickly.
- EmmaOn doit vraiment protéger nos forêts.We really need to protect our forests.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “wildfire” translations and entries feu de forêt, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries de, feu, forêt, incendie, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
