carapace

shell

noun kah-rah-PAS Rare

Origin: Spanish carapacho (shell)

Also means

protective armor

Usage Note

Carapace refers to the hard shell of a turtle, tortoise, crab, or similar animal. Figuratively, it describes an emotional or psychological shield: se réfugier dans sa carapace ('to retreat into one's shell'). This figurative use is very common in everyday French and makes it a useful word for emotional vocabulary.

Examples

"La tortue rentre dans sa carapace quand elle a peur."

Natural Translation

The turtle retreats into its shell when it is scared.

Related Words

Explore French by topic

FrenchNow

Faire in French: To Make, To Do, and More

Faire in French means more than make and do: master faire vs rendre, weather and sports idioms, the causative, and the mistakes English speakers make.

June 4, 2026 6 min read

FrenchNow

French Filler Words: Euh, Bah, Du Coup, Quoi

French filler words like euh, bah, du coup, and quoi make you sound fluent, not lazy. Learn what each one does, where it goes, and how to use them naturally.

June 4, 2026 6 min read

FrenchNow

French Noun Gender: Rules to Guess Right 80%

Guess French noun gender right 80% of the time using word endings: -age, -ment, -eau are masculine; -tion, -té, -ette are feminine. A high-yield system.

June 3, 2026 5 min read

FrenchNow

Avoir or Être? Picking the Right Past-Tense Helper

Use avoir for the passé composé unless the verb is reflexive or one of ~16 DR MRS VANDERTRAMP motion verbs, which take être and force agreement.

June 4, 2026 5 min read