genou

French

Pronunciation

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• IPA: /ʒə.nu/, SAMPA: /Z@.nu/

• Audio (Paris)

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Etymology

From the plural of Old French genoil, from Vulgar Latin genuc(u)lum, variant of Latin geniculum, diminutive of genu.

Noun

genou m. (plural genoux)

1. knee
2. lap

Usage notes

Only seven words in French ending by -ou, have their plurals in -oux instead of -ous: bijou, caillou, chou, genou, hibou, joujou, pou.

Derived terms

• agenouiller

Descendants

• Esperanto: genuo