fourmilière

French

Etymology

From fourmi.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fuʁ.mi.ljɛʁ/

• Audio:

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• Audio (Canada):

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Noun

fourmilière f (plural fourmilières)

1. anthill

   donner un coup de pied dans la fourmilière ― to stir up a hornets' nest, to stir things up (literally, “to give a kick in the anthill”)

2. (figuratively) beehive (place full of activity, or in which people are very busy)

Related terms

• fourmilier

See also

• termitière

Further reading

• “fourmilière”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.