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alentour

around, in the vicinity

adverb ah-lahn-TOOR Rare

Usage Note

Alentour is used as an adverb meaning 'around' or 'nearby', often in slightly literary or formal contexts; the plural noun form les alentours (m pl) means 'the surroundings' or 'the area around'. The phrase aux alentours de can mean both 'around' a place and 'around' a time or number — aux alentours de midi means 'around noon'.

Examples

"Il regarda alentour avant de partir."

Natural Translation

He looked around before leaving.

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