bleu

Etymology

From Middle French bleu, from Old French blöe, bleve, blef (“blue”), from Frankish *blāo (“blue”), from Proto-Germanic *blēwaz (“blue”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰléh₁-, *bʰlh₁-, *bʰleh₁- (“yellow, grey, blue”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰel- (“to shine”). Cognate with Old High German blāo (“blue”) (German blau), Dutch blauw (“blue”), Old English blāw (“blue”). More at blue.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /blø/

• audio

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• audio (du bleu)

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• Audio (Belgium)

  (file)

Adjective

bleu (feminine singular bleue, masculine plural bleus, feminine plural bleues)

1. blue

   Le ciel est bleu. ― The sky is blue.

2. (of meat) very rare, underdone

Noun

bleu m (plural bleus)

1. the color blue
2. blue cheese

   Le bleu ressemble au roquefort ― Blue cheese looks like Roquefort

3. rookie, new recruit, raw recruit

   Ce soldat est un vrai bleu ― This soldier is a real rookie

4. bruise

   Il est tombé, et maintenant il a un bleu ― He fell over and now he has a bruise

5. (billiards, snooker) billiard chalk
6. (Canada) a supporter of the Conservative Party

See also

• turquoise
• outremer

Further reading

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

Etymology

Borrowed from French bleu (“blue”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /blø/

Adjective

bleu

1. light blue

Etymology

From Low Frankish *blāo.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bløː/

Noun

bleu m (invariable)

1. blue (color)

Adjective

bleu (invariable)

1. blue

   No gh'ò ciù de lâpi bleu. ― I don't have any more blue pencils.

Etymology

From Old French blöe, bleve, blef (“blue”), from Low Frankish *blāo (“blue”), from Proto-Germanic *blēwaz (“blue”), from Proto-Indo-European *bhlēw-, *bhlāw- (“yellow, grey, blue”), from Proto-Indo-European *bhel- (“to shine”). Cognate with Old High German blāo (“blue”) (German blau), Dutch blauw (“blue”), Old English blāw (“blue”). More at blue.

Adjective

bleu m (feminine singular bleue, masculine plural bleus, feminine plural bleues)

1. blue

Noun

bleu m (plural bleus)

1. blue

Etymology

Borrowed from French bleu (“blue”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /blø/

Adjective

bleu m, f, n (invariable)

1. light blue

Noun

bleu n (plural bleu-uri)

1. light blue

See also

• albastru