🇫🇷French Source WordCode: FR

effilé

Pronunciation / Transliteration: eh-fee-lay

🇬🇧 Direct English Meaning:
Taper/ˈteɪ.pər/
verbadjectiveCEFR B2 (Upper)Top #4500 frequency
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🇫🇷 Example Sentence in French:

"Les branches de l'arbre sont effilées vers le sommet."

Comprehensive Definitions & Senses

2 senses
As verb
  1. 1

    To diminish or reduce in thickness, width, or gradient toward one end.

    "The trousers taper slightly at the ankle for a modern silhouette."
As adjective
  1. 1

    Gradually narrowing toward a point or specific end.

    "The table legs have a sleek, taper design that gives the furniture a mid-century feel."

Thesaurus & Semantic Spectrum

Synonyms (3)
Antonyms & Contrasting Words (1)

Linguistic Origin & Historical Etymology

Derived from the Old English 'tāpore', meaning a small wax candle or taper, which gradually narrows toward the top. By extension, the verb sense evolved in the late Middle Ages to describe any object or process that progressively diminishes in width, thickness, or intensity toward one end.

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