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charrette

cart, small wagon

noun shah-RET Rare

Origin: Old French charet, diminutive of char (chariot)

Usage Note

Charrette literally means a hand-drawn or horse-drawn cart. In architecture and design, en charrette (or simply charrette) refers to an intense, last-minute work sprint — derived from the Beaux-Arts tradition of students working feverishly as the cart collected their projects. Être en charrette means to be under deadline crunch in informal French.

Examples

"Le paysan tirait une charrette de foin."

Natural Translation

The farmer was pulling a cart of hay.

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