Reference Centre, Dictionnaires
Dictionary of French Words and Phrases
This list contains French words with their English translations. The words included here are only those that one is likely to find in a genealogical or historical document or record. If the word you are looking for is not on this list, please consult a French-English dictionary.
French is a Romance language derived from Latin and, like all languages, its' spelling was not standardized until after 1680. Clerks, in their written records, spelled words based upon the way a word sounded and also in accordance with the level of their own understanding of language as gained through their education. Variations between the old-style and modern-style of spelling words should not cause too much trouble for a researcher.
French is spoken throughout France, Luxembourg, Quebec (Canada) and in areas of other Canadian provinces that are heavily populated by French immigrants. French is also the official language of the United Nations and one of the official languages spoken in southern Belgium, southwestern Switzerland, parts of northern and central Africa, southeast Asia, as well as several islands in the Indian Ocean, Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea. The records of the Rhineland area of Germany, parts of northern Belgium and the Netherlands were recorded in French from circa 1800 up to 1812. Early records of Louisiana (U.S.A.) were also recorded in French.
Since the time of the Norman conquest of England, the English language has absorbed, adopted or derived words, for its own uses, from the French language. For instance, mouton, boeuf and porc became mutton, beef and pork, respectively. Other French derived English words are art, army, dinner, dress, faith, pardon, preach, sermon and theatre.
The French language began its evolution in 51 B.C.E. (B.C.) when Julius Caesar conquered Gaul (France) when Latin mingled with and supplanted Gualish. Only about 360 original Gaulish words remain in modern French. Since that time, the French language has continually evolved adding words from the language of the Franks and Norsemen, as they each conquered France during later times. During the Reinaissance, Greek and Latin words were incorporated into the French language while commerce with the Spanish and Italians in the 1500s contributed other new words to the language.