French Aphereses and Abbreviations ~ Les Aphérèses
Glossary of shortened French words
French Acronyms + Abbreviations | Apocopes | Aphereses
An apheresis, or aphaeresis, is a word which is shortened by dropping one or more syllables at the beginning of the word, and sometimes adding an extra sound at the end. Aphereses are often informal and are less common in French than apocopes.
Note that the translation given is for the apheresis, which does not always mean the same thing as the term it came from.
| Apheresis | Register | Term | Translation of the apheresis |
| un blème | (fam) | un problème | problem |
| boche | (slang*) | alboche | German |
| un bougna(t) | (archaic) | un charbougnat | coalman, coal merchant |
| un bouif | (inf) | un ribouis | cobbler |
| un bus | un autobus | bus | |
| le centile | percentile | percentile | |
| un chandail | marchand d'ail | thick sweater | |
| un cipal | (archaic) | un garde municipal | ~local police |
| Colas | (nickname) | Nicolas | |
| droper | (inf) | adroper | to run |
| 'fin | (inf) | enfin | well, I mean |
| un gnard | (inf) | mignard | kid |
| un gnon | (inf) | oignon | hit, blow |
| las | (archaic) | hélas | alas |
| man | (inf) | maman | mom |
| Messieurs, 'dames | (greeting) | Messieurs, Mesdames | Sir, Ma'am |
| le Net | l'Internet | internet | |
| pitaine | (fam) | capitaine | captain |
| ricain | (slang*) | américain | American |
| 'Soir | Bonsoir | Good evening | |
| Soize | (nickname) | Françoise | |
| un steak | un beefsteak (bifteck) | steak | |
| tiot | (inf) | petiot | tiny, teeny-weeny |
| Toine | (nickname) | Antoine | |
| la touffeur | (archaic) | étouffer | sweltering heat |
| un troquet | (inf) | un mastroquet | café |
| tudieu | (archaic) | vertu (de) Dieu | zounds |
*These two terms are derogatory slang - they are included here for reference only. You should never say them.
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If you know any aphérèses that are not included here, please let me know. |
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