putain

French

Alternative forms

• p*tain (censored)
• putaing (Meridional)

Etymology

Inherited from Old French putain, originally the oblique case of pute (“dirty woman”) formed with the suffix -ain, from Vulgar Latin pūtta, from Latin pūta (“girl”). Compare with salope, Italian puttana, Spanish puta.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /py.tɛ̃/

• Audio (Paris):

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• Audio (France (Toulouse)):

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• Audio (France (Vosges)):

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• Audio (France (Somain)):

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• Homophone: putains

Noun

putain f (plural putains)

1. (vulgar, dated) whore, hooker

   Synonym: pute

2. (derogatory, vulgar, slang, dated) bitch, cow (an unpleasant woman)

   Synonym: pute

Descendants

• →? English: poontang, pootang

Interjection

putain

1. (vulgar) fuck, fucking hell, bloody hell

   Synonyms: bordel, (euphemistic) punaise, (euphemistic) purée

   Putain, il a encore oublié les clés !

   Fuck, he forgot the keys again!

2. (vulgar) used as an intensifier

   Je veux que tu le laves, putain !

   I need you to fucking wash it!

   Comment, putain, il s’est cassé le bras ?

   How the fuck did he break his arm?

Derived terms

• fils de putain
• ptn
• putain de (noun)
• putain de bordel de merde
• putain de merde

Further reading

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

Norman

Etymology

From Old French putain.

Noun

putain f (plural putains)

1. (Jersey) whore

   Synonym: chèrch'rêsse