cigogne

stork

noun see-GON-yuh Rare

Usage Note

cigogne is the white stork (Ciconia ciconia), famous in French culture as a symbol of Alsace — storks nesting on rooftops are an emblematic image of that region. The expression la cigogne apporte les bébés (the stork brings babies) mirrors the English equivalent. The plural is regular: cigognes.

Examples

"Les cigognes reviennent chaque printemps en Alsace."

Natural Translation

The storks return every spring to Alsace.

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