fléau

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French

Etymology

Inherited from Old French flaiel, flael, flayau, inherited from Latin flagellum.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /fle.o/
  • Audio:(file)

Noun

fléau m (plural fléaux)

  1. a flail, either tool or weapon
  2. a scourge; a curse, a calamity or a plague
    • 2020 June 19, “Stopper la haine sur Internet”, in Le Monde:
      La haine en ligne est un fléau d’une immense ampleur.
      Online hatred is a scourge of immense scale.
  3. (mechanics) the beam of a mechanical balance

Further reading