écueil

Etymology

From Middle French escueil, from Old Occitan escueyll, from Vulgar Latin *scoclu, from Latin scopulus, from Ancient Greek σκόπελος (skópelos, “lookout place: hence peak, headland, promontory”). Compare Italian scoglio and the derived Portuguese escolho / Spanish escollo.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /e.kœj/

• Audio (Paris)

  (file)

Noun

écueil m (plural écueils)

1. (shallow) reef, shelf
2. (figuratively) pitfall, stumbling block

   Synonym: pierre d'achoppement

Further reading

• “écueil” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).