laine
/lɛn/feminine
The English word "wool" is translated into French as laine.
laine refers to the hair of sheep and similar animals. When you want to describe an item as being made of wool, use the construction en laine, such as en laine to say "made of wool".
Meaning: hair of sheep, etc. (noun)
Is it said differently in some regions?
In certain parts of France, the term lainage is used to describe wool fabric or materials.
How does it change in a sentence?
laine is a feminine noun, so it is used with the feminine article la to form la laine (the wool).
How do you pronounce it?
/lɛn/
Did you know?
- In French, the term laine de verre literally means 'glass wool' but is the standard term for fiberglass insulation.
- The English word 'lanolin', referring to the grease found in sheep's wool, is a linguistic relative of the French word laine.
- The French word laine shares the same Latin root as the English botanical term 'lanate', which describes plants with woolly hairs.
Examples in context
- Je cardai la laine.I carded the wool.This sentence is useful for practicing the verb for carding with laine.Tatoeba #2720191 by Julien_PDC, translation #2720186 by Amastan
- J’ai cardé la laine.I've carded the wool.This sentence shows the use of the perfect tense with laine.Tatoeba #2231567 by Amastan, translation #12766388 by sundown
- Ma chemise est en laine.My shirt is wool.This sentence demonstrates how to describe an item made of wool using laine.Tatoeba #11491912 by Rovo, translation #12434616 by Miktsoanit
- Cette écharpe est fabriquée en laine.This scarf is made of wool.
- J'ai utilisé un fil de laine pour tricoter ce pull.I used wool yarn to knit this sweater.
- J'ai acheté du tissu en laine pour faire une jupe.I bought some wool fabric to make a skirt.
- Il fait froid, je vais mettre mon tricot en laine.It's cold, I'm going to wear my woolen sweater.
- 26 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Manon and Hugo are looking at sweaters in a clothing store.
- ManonEst-ce que ce pull est en laine ?Is this sweater made of wool?
- HugoOui, c'est de la laine pure.Yes, it is pure wool.
- ManonLa laine gratte parfois un peu.Wool is sometimes a bit scratchy.
- HugoC'est vrai, mais c'est très chaud.That's true, but it is very warm.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “wool” translations and entries laine, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries laine, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
