aile
/ɛl/feminine
The French word for wing, as in the wing of a bird or other animal, is aile.
aile is used for the wings of birds, insects and other animals and it also covers the wing of a plane and the side panel of a car. Chicken wings on a menu are les ailes de poulet. To wing it, meaning to improvise, French uses the verb improviser.
Meaning: part of an animal (noun)
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
aile is a feminine noun and its plural is ailes. Because it starts with a vowel, it takes l' and the possessive son even though it is feminine.
How do you pronounce it?
In IPA it is /ɛl/, a single syllable that sounds like the English name of the letter L.
When do people say it?
The idiom to take someone under your wing works the same way in French, with the phrase sous son aile meaning under one's wing.
Did you know?
- While aile describes the physical wing, the French use envergure for wingspan. This word is also used metaphorically to describe a person's 'stature' or the scale of their influence.
- In football, the position of a 'winger' is called un ailier. This term is derived directly from aile, treating the player as the wing of the team's formation.
- The word aile is an unexpected relative of the English term 'ala', which appears in technical or biological descriptions of wing-like structures.
Examples in context
- Il m'a pris sous son aile.He took me under his wing.sous son aile is the French version of the idiom about protecting and guiding someone.Tatoeba #8701024 by Aiji, translation #3318891 by Hybrid
- L'aile était très cabossée.The wing was badly dented.L'aile here most likely refers to a car or a plane, showing the word works beyond animals.Tatoeba #8922614 by lbdx, translation #11960241 by sundown
- Elle m'a pris sous son aile.She took me under her wing.son is used before aile because the noun starts with a vowel, whoever the owner is.Tatoeba #12437937 by lbdx, translation #3318892 by Hybrid
- L'aile de l'oiseauThe bird's wing
- 12 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Léa and Lucas are watching birds in a garden.
- LéaRegarde l'aile de ce papillon.Look at the wing of this butterfly.
- LucasElle est vraiment très colorée.It is truly very colorful.
- LéaEst-ce que l'aile est abîmée ?Is the wing damaged?
- LucasNon, elle semble en pleine forme.No, it seems to be in great shape.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “wing” translations and entries aile, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
