Skip to content

choléra

cholera

noun koh-leh-RAH Rare

Origin: Greek kholera

Usage Note

Choléra is the waterborne bacterial disease caused by Vibrio cholerae; the accent marks it as a French adaptation of the Greek/Latin form. It historically devastated 19th-century France, and the word carries strong associations with epidemics and poor sanitation.

Examples

"Le choléra se transmet par l'eau contaminée."

Natural Translation

Cholera is transmitted through contaminated water.

Free starter pack

Building your French vocabulary?

Get the 100 most common French words as a free PDF — one email, no spam.

Explore French by topic