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écaille

scale (fish or reptile)

noun eh-KYE Rare
Animals & Nature Sea Creatures

Also means

tortoiseshell; flake (of paint)

Usage Note

Écaille covers both the scales of a fish (écailles de poisson) and the shell material of a tortoise, used decoratively in frames and combs. Lunettes en écaille are tortoiseshell-framed glasses. The verb écailler means to scale a fish or to flake off (of paint).

Examples

"Le poissonnier enlève les écailles du poisson."

Natural Translation

The fishmonger removes the fish's scales.

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