Word origins

• mousseline de laineAn untwilled woolen cloth produced in various colours and patterns.
• mousseuxOf wine: sparkling.
• mouton enragéA normally peaceful person who has become suddenly and uncharacteristically angry.
• mouvementéAnimated, agitated, bustling, full of variety.
• mozzettaA short cape covering the shoulders and buttoned in front, with a hood, which is worn by the pope, cardinals, bishops, and other senior clergy.
• m'sieurSyncopic form of monsieur.
• mulardA domestic duck that is a hybrid of the Pekin duck and Muscovy duck.
• muleteerSynonym of muledriver.
• MuretA town in Haute-Garonne department, Occitania, France.
• muscadindandy, coxcomb
• museauSomeone's face.
• musique concrèteA genre of music created by the electronic manipulation of sounds that occur naturally.
• musroleThe noseband of a horse's bridle.
• mutineryMutiny.
• myria-innumerable: myriad, myriapod
• myriare10,000 ares, or one square kilometre.
• myriologueIn Greece, a funeral song composed and sung by a woman on the death of a friend.
• myriologyA myriologue.
• mythomaneSomeone who suffers from mythomania.
• mythomaniacSomeone who suffers from mythomania.
• nacaratA shade of bright red-orange.
• naïfNaive.
• naïvetéLack of sophistication, experience, judgement or worldliness; artlessness; gullibility; credulity.
• NajacA village in Aveyron department, France.
• narghileA large Oriental tobacco pipe wherein the smoke is drawn through water to filter and cool it.
• nattesSurface decoration or diaper resembling plaited or interlaced work.
• nature morteAn image depicting inanimate objects; a still life.
• navarinA stew of mutton and vegetables.
• NavarrenxA commune and town in the department of Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France.
• N'DjamenaThe capital city of Chad.
• necromantSynonym of necromancer.
• néeUsed when giving the maiden name of a woman.
• négligéeCarelessly or unceremoniously dressed.
• negociantA wine merchant who purchases grapes, grape juice, or wine in bulk from vineyards, and bottles the wine for sale.
• negritudeThe fact of being of black African descent, especially a conscious pride in the values, cultural identity etc. of African heritage; blackness.
• nepouiteA rare apple-green nickel silicate mineral.
• NéracA city in Lot-et-Garonne department, France.
• nervureA vein in the wing of an insect.
• n'est-ce pasUsed to form tag questions.
• NeuchâtelA canton of Switzerland.
• Neuilly-PlaisanceA commune in Seine-Saint-Denis department, Île-de-France, France.
• névéThe firn or snowfield at the head of a glacier.
• NiçoisOf, from or relating to the city of Nice, the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France.
• nielleExtremely dark black.
• niellureThe niello process.
• NissardA native or inhabitant of Nice.
• NivôseThe fourth month of the French Republican Calendar, from December 21, 22 or 23 to January 19, 20 or 21.
• noblesse obligeThe honourable obligation that is the responsibility of those of high rank; in American English this often includes the expectation of benevolent actions such as helping those less fortunate.
• noctuleA bat, of the genus Nyctalus, that lives in tree hollows.
• noeud vitalThe junction between root and stem of a plant.
• nom d'artisteA pseudonym used by an artist.
• nom de guerreA pseudonym, particularly one adopted by soldiers, revolutionaries, or resistance fighter.
• nominableCapable of being identified using a name.
• nonillion10³⁰.
• nonnatThe whitebait of certain Mediterranean fish.
• non-refoulementThe principle that a person (particularly a refugee) should not be returned to an area (chiefly their country of origin) where they would face mistreatment.
• Nord-EstOne of the ten departments of Haiti.
• Nord-OuestOne of the ten departments of Haiti.
• NormandeA dairy cow of a particular breed originating from Normandy, France.
• NorroyThe most northern of the English kings-of-arms, whose jurisdiction lay north of the Trent. Since 1943, the jurisdiction is Norroy and Ulster.
• nostalgie de la boueA yearning for something base or vile.
• note verbaleAn unsigned diplomatic note written in the third person, of the nature of a memorandum but sometimes considered to be more formal.
• Notre DameNotre-Dame de Paris.
• nougatineBrown nougat, made from caramelized sugar
• NouméaThe capital city of the French overseas territory New Caledonia, a natural South Sea port on its main island.
• nouveau pauvreA newly impoverished person; somebody who has recently become poor.
• nouveau réalismeAn art movement founded in Europe in 1960, characterized by a return to "reality" in opposition to abstract and figurative painting; the creation of collages and assemblages incorporating real-world objects; and the use and critique of mass-produced commercial objects, akin to American pop art.
• nouveau romanA type of 1950s French novel that diverged from classical literary genres; antinovel.
• Nouvelle-AquitaineAn administrative region in southwestern France, established in 2016 by the merger of Aquitaine, Limousin, and Poitou-Charentes.
• nouvelle cuisineA French approach to cookery, contrasted with "cuisine classique" (classical cuisine), that is typified by its lighter, more delicate dishes and emphasis on presentation.
• nouvelle vagueAn influential French film movement of the 1950s and 1960s which experimented radically in editing, visual style and narrative
• NouvianA surname from French.
• NouvionA village and commune of Somme department, Hauts-de-France, France.
• Noyal-PontivyA town in Morbihan department, Brittany, France.
• nuée ardenteA pyroclastic flow.
• nuit blancheAn all-night celebration or festival.
• nulligestA nulligravid person.
• numéraireA basic standard by which values are measured.
• objet d'artA work of art with some artistic merit.
• ObockA wadi in Obock, Djibouti, Horn of Africa
• obviativeA grammatical marker that distinguishes a relatively non-salient referent in a given context from a relatively salient (proximate) one.
• OccitanieOccitania: an administrative region in southern France.
• octillionA thousand trillion trillion, a billion billion billion: 1 followed by 27 zeros, 10²⁷.
• octuorSynonym of octet (“a composition for eight instruments or voices”).
• ocularistSomeone who specializes in the fabrication and fitting of ocular prostheses for people who have lost an eye or eyes due to trauma or illness.
• œil-de-bœufbull's eye, oculus
• œil-de-perdrixA small, round figure; a decorative dot.
• oeilladeA glance, especially an amorous one; an ogle
• oeuf en cocotteA dish consisting of eggs cooked in butter in individual cocottes or ramekins.
• OgossagouA village in Mopti, Mali.
• ogressA female ogre.
• oignon vertmeter maid
• oilletA round hole or circle with which an opening for an arrowslit terminates.
• OléronAn island in the Charente-Maritime department, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France.
• ombréA gradual blending of one color hue to another, usually moving tints and shades from light to dark.
• ombres chinoisesA type of shadow puppetry where silhouettes of figures, often cardboard cutouts, are projected onto a screen to tell stories.
• omoplateThe scapula.
• OmpraretA surname from French.
• ondes martenotAn early electric keyboard instrument.
• on ditA rumour; hearsay