déchet

French

Etymology

Deverbal from déchoir. Several steps omitting from Latin dēcidō, from dē- + cadō.

Compare typologically German Abfall; Czech odpad (< Proto-Slavic *otъ + *padati).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /de.ʃɛ/

• Audio (France (Toulouse)):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Vosges)):

  (file)

Noun

déchet m (plural déchets)

1. rubbish, trash
2. (of a person, slang) a mess, a basket case (especially after having drunk alcohol)

   T'étais un vrai déchet cette soirée-là !

   You were truly a mess that evening!

Derived terms

• déchet radioactif

Verb

déchet

1. third-person singular present indicative of déchoir

Related terms

• déchéance
• dèche

Further reading

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