chouette

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʃwɛt/

• Audio:

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• Audio (Switzerland (Valais)):

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• Audio (France (Vosges)):

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• Audio (France (Vosges)):

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• Rhymes: -ɛt

Etymology 1

chouette lapone

From Middle French chouette, from Old French choete, diminutive from choe (“jackdaw”), from Frankish *kâwa.

Noun

chouette f (plural chouettes)

1. owl (specifically, those species of owls without ear tufts; those with ear tufts are hiboux)

Usage notes

• Vernacular category, doesn't correspond to a scientific taxon.

Derived terms

• chouette boréale
• chouette cendrée
• chouette chevêche
• chouette des terriers
• chouette effraie
• chouette épervière
• chouette harfang
• chouette hulotte
• chouette lapone
• chouette rayée

Descendants

• → Romansh: tschuetta

See also

• hibou

Etymology 2

Probably from a confusion between Etymology 1, above, and a derivative of choueter, chou.

Adjective

chouette (plural chouettes)

1. (informal) great, cool, swell

   Synonym: sympa

Interjection

chouette

1. (informal) Exclamation when one learns of something pleasing

   Chouette ! On va à la mer cet été ! ― Super! We're going to the sea this summer!

   Des crêpes ? Chouette ! ― Crêpes? Super!

Further reading

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

Middle French

Etymology

From Old French choete.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʃuɛtə/

Noun

chouette f (plural chouettes)

1. owl

Descendants

• French: chouette

References

• chouette on Dictionnaire du Moyen Français (1330–1500) (in French)

Old French

Noun

chouette

1. alternative form of choete (“owl”)