baise

kiss (informal/vulgar)

noun BEZ Rare

Usage Note

Baise as a noun is VULGAR in modern French — it refers to the act of sex, not a kiss. The innocent meaning 'kiss' survives only in frozen expressions like baise-main (hand-kiss, a formal greeting gesture). Learners should use bisou or baiser (as a noun) cautiously; the verb baiser has also shifted to a vulgar meaning in contemporary usage.

Examples

"La baise-main était un geste de politesse autrefois."

Natural Translation

The hand-kiss was once a gesture of politeness.

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