lâcher

French

Etymology

Inherited from Middle French lascher, from Old French laschier, from Vulgar Latin *lassicāre < *laxicāre, frequentative of Latin laxāre (whence French laisser).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /la.ʃe/, /lɑ.ʃe/

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Verb

lâcher

1. to release; to loosen; to let go
   • 1836, Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, chapter XXXIX, in Louis Viardot, transl., L’Ingénieux Hidalgo Don Quichotte de la Manche, volume I, Paris: J-J Dubochet et C^ie, éditeurs, , →OCLC:

     Le fils de Barberousse était si cruel et traitait si mal ses captifs, que ceux qui occupaient les bancs de sa chiourme ne virent pas plutôt la galère la Louve se diriger sur eux et prendre de l’avance, qu’ils lâchèrent tous à la fois les rames, et saisirent leur capitaine, qui leur criait du gaillard d’arrière de ramer plus vite ; puis se le passant de banc en banc, de la poupe à la proue, ils lui donnèrent tant de coups de dents, qu’avant d’avoir atteint le mât, il avait rendu son âme aux enfers....

     The son of Barbarossa was so cruel and treated his captives so badly, that those who occupied the benches of his galley no sooner saw the galley la Louve steering to them and advancing, that they let go of the oars all at once, and seized their captain, who yelled to them from the aftcastle to row faster; then passing him to each other from bench to bench, from the poop to the prow, they bit him so much, that before having reached the mast, he had rendered his soul to Hell....

2. (figurative) to abandon, to let go
3. to chicken out
4. (mechanics) to fail

Conjugation

Derived terms

Related terms

• laisser
• relâcher
• relaxer

Noun

lâcher m (plural lâchers)

1. Synonym of lâchage

Further reading

• “lâcher”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé , 2012.

Anagrams

• Rachel